Blue Dragon Beyond
by Yamadori
Summary: Blue Dragon Game. Alternate storyline at middle of Disc 3, spoilers. After an accident, Shu is separated from the group. When he goes to look for the others, he’s captured by Nene. Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro have to save him, but Nene has a new accomplice..
1. Prologue

**Hello, everyone! This is my newest addition to the Blue Dragon series, and this time it's game based. I've had this idea for a while now, and finally decided to expand on it. Mostly, it's the adventures of the group across their home continent and a nearby one. I have a few, slightly episodic chapters in mind, but this could possibly become something more, especially with Blue Dragon Plus coming out in February. I was going to say what the pairings are, but I think it'll spoil the surprise. Oh, and before I forget, here's the little note I'm supposed to add:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places or ideas from the Blue Dragon game or anime. However, I do own the neighboring continent, any characters that obviously aren't in the game or anime (which will probably be minimal in this story), and the plot idea.**

**You can also feel free to go wild with any of my ideas... as long as you get my permission and make sure everyone knows that I started the idea. ;) On with the story.**

_Prologue: Deai (Encounter)_

The weather was stormy, meaning that a sand or rainstorm would be assaulting the town soon; she needed to hurry.

She walked over to the junk piles, her basket hanging from her arm. The piles were large today, which meant it might take longer to look through. That was bad, since the storm was coming, but the good news was that there was usually something nice to find when there were more things.

She started going through the closest one, and cried out in delight when she found something right away: a chipped tea cup. Happily, she put it in her basket.

She went on like this for a little while, moving on to other piles as time went on. She ended up finding another chipped cup, a small wood box that seemed like it had once had a lid, an old vase with peeling paint; definitely nice finds.

She sighed, looking up at the clouds; she probably had about five minutes to get inside before the storm hit. "I guess I better go..."

That was when something flew out of the clouds.

* * *

"Shu!" Jiro hung off the side of the mechat, almost falling off.

"Jiro, don't!" Kluke grabbed his arm.

"We have to save him!"

"There's no way you can save him if you fall off yourself!"

"Maro could use a little help!" Marumaro, in his haste, had grabbed the mechat controls when Shu fell out. And he had no clue what to do.

"Jiro, go pilot the mechat!" Kluke tugged on his arm again.

"But, Shu-"

"There's nothing you can do for him right now! Besides, I don't know anything about machines," she nearly screamed in frustration when he wouldn't move. "Jiro, we can't help him if we crash!"

This seemed to snap him out of it a little bit. "...Okay."

When Marumaro saw Jiro coming, he immediately hopped out of the seat. "Finally!"

"Marumaro!" Jiro barely managed to grab the controls. "Thanks a lot..." he grumbled under his breath.

"Kluke, what are we going to do about Shu?!" Marumaro asked her.

"I..." She looked into the swirling sandstorm beneath them; if it was strong enough to tear a pilot out of the cockpit... There was no way that they could go into that again. "We have to come back later."

* * *

Shu would've screamed if the wind hadn't taken the air out of his lungs. He wasn't on the ground, so he couldn't even bring out his Shadow.

Later, the only thing he remembered were those moments of terror as the ground got closer by the second.

* * *

She realized, belatedly, that the flying object was heading straight for the junk pile she was standing next to.

She tried to jump out of the way, but it hit before she got very far. She cried out as the various items rained on top of her.

She woke up a few minutes later, covered in the junk pile's contents. With effort, she managed to push enough off that she could crawl out.

"That was close..." she whimpered. She looked up at the pile; there was a hole in the top where the flying thing had crashed. What could cause such a thing?

Determination gleamed in her eyes; she was going to find out.

Carefully as she could, she climbed the pile, using the items to pull her up and as footholds. She yelped when one of her "footholds" fell away. But, swallowing her fear, she continued her climb.

Once she had reached the top, she saw that items had collapsed inside of the newly made hole. With a resigned sigh, she began pulling the junk out.

It took her a minute or two, but soon she had ever thing cleared. She sat there, stunned at what she had found.

"It's a... boy?"

**Well, there's the prologue. It ended a little different than I had initially thought, but I think I actually like it more this way. Oh, if anyone's wondering when this takes place, it's right after you get the mechat and Zola rejoins. She wasn't with the group right now because she had some business to attend to in Jibral. So... I'd like a review to know what you thought, but it's not necessary. Like I'm doing with my story **_**Troubles on White Day**_**, I'm planning on updating this after 10 hits. That doesn't mean the chapter will be done after 10 hits, but it **_**will**_** be done fairly soon. It might get a little tricky, since I'll be juggling two stories at a time, but I think I'm up for the challenge. Otherwise, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Here's chapter one; sorry for the delay. I've been having trouble writing lately, and I'm juggling four stories right now. I'm dealing with it, though. Let's get to the review replies real quick.**

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman: **Wow... Glad you like it. :D Oh, that's sweet. Thank you. Here's the next chapter; you'll have to hang on a while with the pairings, because it gives away too much of the romance plot if I tell you and everyone else now. But, I promise we'll get to it eventually. ;) Thanks; like I said in a previous reply, in-character is a primary goal for me when writing any story, even if it's my own character. Yeah, Jiro's pretty different in the anime and game, kind of polar opposite; when I first saw the anime, it was sad for me about Jiro, because I was so used to the idea of Jiro and Shu acting like brothers. I got used to the anime Jiro, especially after I found out what happened to his family and village, and now he's become one of my favorite characters again (Jiro will probably always be my favorite male character in the Blue Dragon game). And I think you're right about Jiro in the anime. When I watched Episode 31 for the first time, and I saw the flashback scene where Jiro's father told him to run, I knew when I heard Jiro's voice that he would've been almost exactly like the game Jiro if his village hadn't been destroyed. And I'll try to do my best. ;)

**WindGoddess Rune:** It should be pretty interesting. Sorry for the wait. And thanks for reviewing all the time. :)

**whitewolf105:** Thank you. *blushes* It's always nice for me to know that people like it. I'll try to do my best. :) Oh, and thanks for the alerts and favorites - I had never seen you around the Blue Dragon corner before, so I was really honored when you suddenly popped up and added me and the story to all of your lists (and reviewed the story). :D

**Okay, those are the replies, which will be updated if anyone else reviews; I'm pretty consistent about that. ;) I'm going to put the chapter names from now on, since the site won't let me write in the chapter titles the way I want; who ever heard of not being able to use parentheses? Anyway, I went back and added the prologue title to the last chapter if anyone wants to know what it was. I'm kind of using a Japanese/English theme with the chapter titles, which is why I was so frustrated when the website wouldn't let me do it how I was going to (finding the Japanese was **_**not**_** easy). Well, I'll stop ranting now; let's get on with the chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Dragon... I don't own Blue Dragon... I don't own Blue Dragon...**

**_Edit: The edit in this is fairly minor. I have decided to change Szabo' age to ??? instead of 2. Regarding how he acts, it doesn't really matter what his age is - he just acts how he does. However, after thinking it over, it seemed like 2 years was too soon for him to have been built. The kind of loyalty he has to Nene... While it's likely that Nene programmed him to be that way, I think Szabo probably would have had to spend some time following Nene before he became that loyal. Like I already said, it's not too big of a deal._**

_Chapter 1: Hikiawase (Introduction)_

Shu scrunched his closed eyes, then opened them slowly.

He was in a bedroom of some sort. The walls and floor seemed to be clay. But the furniture... Everything in the room seemed old and/or broken. If he wasn't laying in a bed, he would've thought the room was a poorly run antique shop.

He sat up, wincing as he did so. With the magic, he regenerated pretty fast, but that didn't make injuries hurt any less when he got them; he was definitely bruised and battered, he had some scratches, and a few bones seemed to be broken. He was covered in bandages, so someone had obviously been taking care of him.

Shu jumped when he heard a crash. The sound seemed to come from below him, so it was definitely downstairs.

He tried to focus his magic, but it was still depleted; he couldn't have been asleep that long if it hadn't replenished. Hopefully, whatever was down there was friendly, because he'd be winging it on physical strength if it came down to a fight.

The wood door creaked open part way, getting stuck because of the hinges, then pushed open abruptly. A girl stumbled out, nearly spilled onto the floor.

She was wearing a blue, low-cut tube dress; over it she wore an off-white apron. White tights covered her legs, dark blue and purple shoes on her feet. She had black hair in two ponytails, held up with blue hair ties. Her face was young, and her eyes were a pretty violet color that Shu had never seen.

"You're awake..." her eyes darted from left to right; she seemed a little nervous.

"Uh... Yeah." he blinked at her.

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. The girl took a half step towards him, but they didn't move otherwise save for breathing.

Finally, the girl spoke up. "Um... M-my name is Bouquet..."

"My name's Shu." he spoke easily; now that they were getting into more familiar territory, it didn't seem so hard to say anything.

"I've been taking care of you..."

"I can see that." Shu smirked.

She smiled as well, then giggled as she thought of something.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you always fall out of the sky where you come from?"

"Fall out of the sky..." He was confused for only a few seconds before everything came back to him.

He groaned, holding his head in his hand. The truth was that the whole thing was his fault; Marumaro could probably have partial blame for agreeing with him, but it was almost entirely Shu's stupid mistake.

After they'd reunited with Zola, she'd left to go to Jibral for some kind of errand. Marumaro had been in a foul mood, since he suspected that King Jibral was "trying to take away Lady Zola". Shu had felt bad for him, so he decided to cheer Marumaro up by suggesting that they go search for the pirate treasure that was rumored to be on some islands near the southern desert. Marumaro had perked up immediately, saying that he wanted to find a nice jewel to give to Zola.

Jiro and Kluke had said that it was a bad idea from the beginning, but neither Shu nor Marumaro would listen.

Using the mechat, they had flown over the desert, then to the ocean towards the desert. They had been making good progress when dark storm clouds started to form.

It had rained just a tiny bit, a small and warm shower. Then as quickly as it had started, it stopped.

It was almost five minutes later when the sand hit.

No one one had ever been inside a tornado, but Shu guessed this was what one looked like if it was made out of sand. The strong wind had blown everyone onto the floor, save for Shu, since he was seated; it did yank him down a little, enough to make the seat belt cut into him. The storm was so fierce that the sand that was pelting the mechat was actually putting dents in the ship.

He'd never expected it to tear him out of the ship. In fact, he wasn't even aware of it until he was in the air. He had heard the seat belt tear, and then he was in the sky.

In the present, he visibly shuddered as he remembered falling to earth; he didn't know how he wanted to die, but now he was sure that becoming a pancake after dropping several stories was not it.

"Are... are you okay?" Bouquet said tentatively.

Shu shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts, then nodded at the girl. "Yeah. Hey... Can I ask you something?"

"Y-yes?"

"Where are we?" He wondered briefly why the thought hadn't occurred to him earlier.

"Oh," she smiled again. "We're in Kolin."

* * *

Jiro banged his fist against the landed mechat, cursing under his breath, something he hadn't done for many years.

"Jiro..." Kluke put a hand on his shoulder, relieved when he visibly relaxed.

"I won't let anything him happen to him, Kluke."

"I know. Me neither." Jiro probably didn't realize how hard it had been for Kluke to say earlier that they should leave Shu, but she hadn't known how hard it would be, either; she'd thought her heart was going to tear in half.

There had always been an unspoken promise: Shu must be protected at all costs.

They looked over when Marumaro rolled onto his side, mumbling in his sleep.

The mechat had been well-tangled in the storm, and it had been nearly impossible to keep the sand from destroying the ship, let alone escaping the whirlwind. They'd come to the conclusion that the only way they could escape was by warping.

Shu had always been the best at using the warp skill. He could warp all of them by himself, though he would be completely drained afterwards; he'd proved as much when he rescued them in Nene's Fortress, followed by three days of straight coma.

If Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro combined their magic, they could almost achieve half of Shu's warping strength, though they needed Zola if they wanted to reach the halfway mark. As a result, warping in a crisis like that had completely drained their magic; Jiro and Kluke had only woken up recently.

"Kluke, I..." he cut himself off abruptly, though she could see that he wanted to talk to her.

"What is it, Jiro?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, looking away from her. "We should try to wake up Marumaro soon. We need to start looking. If he won't wake up, we'll just have to carry him."

"...Okay." she retracted her hand, holding it over her chest. So many things to worry about... And it seemed like a tall mountain with all of the other things she worried about on a daily basis.

Jiro sighed, leaning his head against the ship. It had been several hours, but he was still shaking.

He'd seen Shu fall... he'd seen his face. He knew that terrified face very well, and he'd hoped to never see it again.

No - he had to find Shu.

**Well, there's the first chapter. Did I surprise you by adding Bouquet? Although, I suspect that some of you guessed it was her already. Anyway, I'd planned on ending this chapter differently, but it seemed to turn out well. There is one important note I'd like to make - the ages. I don't believe everyone's the ages they say there are in the game, so in all of my Blue Dragon game stories, they will be as follows:**

**Shu: 12**

**Jiro: 14**

**Kluke: 14**

**Marumaro: 11**

**Zola: 20**

**Bouquet: 11**

**Nene: ???**

**Szabo: ???**

**Fushira: 61**

**King Jibral: 25**

**Sahlia: 12**

**Toripo: ???**

**Yasato: ???**

**Marutora: 6**

**Marumira: 7**

**Poo Snake: 1**

**Himiko: ???**

**This list is based on all the playable characters in Blue Dragon Plus, with the addition of Bouquet and Nene. Once the sequel for **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** is up (yes, it's a long time away, but there will be a sequel), I'll post the ages on my profile; I'll still leave the note here once I do that. Anyway, now that we're past all of that... Another important thing to note is that Bouquet's appearance is slightly different from her anime version; basically, the colors are more exaggerated. Her eyes are a little darker and her hair is also pure black instead of the anime's dark gray, kind of like Jiro's hair. So, review if you like; I always appreciate it (it's good to know how I'm doing), but it's not necessary. When this chapter reaches 10 hits, I'll try to update. So... I'll see you later! :D**


	3. Chapter 2

**We finally get to chapter 2! I'm sorry I've been taking so long with this story and my others... When I say this, I mean so long from when it reached 10 hits. I'd been getting my stories out so much quicker than this in the beginning, but... Well, I'm trying. It's here, right? Anyway, we'll get to the replies now.**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Oh, I think we'll find out pretty soon. ;) Yeah, he's kind of safe with Bouquet. Oh, and I got your PM. I think Himiko _is_ very cute. ;) Chapter 8 of _Troubles on White Day_ should be up pretty soon. Chapter 7 has already received over 10 hits, so all I have to do now is write it. :)

**SoujaGirl:** I don't actually know what you meant by "that'll be soon", but it's okay. It's always nice hearing from you, and everyone who's been reviewing my stories (all of whom have been pretty consistent). :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** ...Wah, you're back!! I missed you so much! *insert Animal-Crossing-style crying here* Thank you.. and thank you... Okay; hope you like it. :)

**YuukixZero16-in-yellow:** Thank you! :D Ah, it would give away the surprise if I said anything, but you're very close. ;) *blushes* Thanks. I'm glad to hear it. :)

**Well, there are the replies... So let's get to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Dragon. If I did, Bouquet would be in the game, or one of the upcoming ones, and I wouldn't have to write her into the story.**

_Chapter 2: Yuuyou (Helpful)_

For a long time, Shu chatted with Bouquet. They talked about various things; Shu told her about himself and Talta, and she told him about herself and Kolin.

Throughout their talk, Shu had learned that the city of Kolin was a place where you went if you wanted information. He also learned that Bouquet was eleven, and had been living in this place by herself for five years.

"...You aren't serious, are you?" Shu had asked when she told him, his eyes wide.

Bouquet simply blinked. "Yeah, why? Is something wrong?"

"You're so young to be on your own..."

"Oh, that's okay!" she cut in cheerfully. "My friend takes care of me."

"But, you said you were by yourself."

"I did? Oh... Um..."

Shu sighed. "Never mind, it's okay."

He tried asking her a few questions about her friend, and from her responses, came away with the thought this "friend" was probably imaginary.

After they had talked some more, mostly her asking him questions about Talta, he asked her if she would show around the city.

"Okay! I'm pretty good at that." She hopped off of the bed from her spot next to him, offering her hand. "Come on!"

As she led him out of the room, he found out that the rest of the place was as broken as the bedroom; he'd only taken a few steps when his foot fell through the rotting floor.

Bouquet caught him immediately, managing to pull him out before any damage was done to him or the wood. They both collapsed on the ground.

Shu cursed under his breath. "Do you think... you could warn me next time?"

"Shu, I'm so sorry! I come through here every day, so I'm used to stepping over that spot. I forgot to warn you."

"Does... Does that mean this has happened before?" He looked over at her, his breathing starting to return to normal.

"I found out when I started living here," Bouquet stood. "Let's go. Next time, if we come near anything like that, I'll warn you."

"I hope so..." Shu mumbled as she started dragging him along.

* * *

"Ow!" Jiro snatched his burned hand away as the mechat engine continued to spark.

"Jiro!" Kluke knelt down next to him. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy," Jiro ground out, then sighed out his anger. "Sorry." It wasn't Kluke's fault the engine was busted; there was no reason to take it out on her.

"It's okay." Fortunately she seemed to understand.

"Is Marumaro awake yet?" Jiro asked, changing the subject.

"No. I was going to try again, but I came over here when I heard you get hurt."

Jiro looked away to hide his blush. "I'm fine. Go over and try again; I don't want you over here if it starts going crazy again."

"But..."

"I'll fix it. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried about the stupid machine!"

"Well, I am, on top of about twenty other things. And one of those things happen to include your safety. So _please_ back up so you don't get hurt."

Kluke sighed. "Fine. But I want to look at your hand when your done tinkering with that thing."

Going back to his "tinkering" as she walked away, Jiro tried to focus on repairing the engine instead of his quickened heartbeat.

* * *

Shu looked up in awe. "This place is really... wow."

"Made of clay?" Bouquet offered.

"Well, yeah, but... Big is more of what I had in mind."

"Really? It doesn't seem that big to me."

Shu, who was still getting used to the size of Jibral, had his mind completely blown once he'd realized he was in a place bigger than the castle town. "I've never seen any place like this."

"Well, that's why I have to show it to you!" Cheerfully, she started dragging him away again.

As they walked through the city, Bouquet pointed out each building to Shu and told him what it was. The two of them continued like that for a while, until she showed him a café.

Shu's stomach growled. "Uh... Any chance we can stop in there?"

"Oh, of course! You must be starving." she pulled him over to one of the outside tables.

When a waitress came to take their order, she sighed in a way that told that she was about to do something she would regret. "What would you like to order?"

At the same time, Bouquet said "tea" and Shu said "coffee". Laughing nervously, Bouquet added, "We'll have some pastries, too."

"Okay," the waitress finished her shorthand with a decisively final stroke. "It should be ready in a few minutes."

Once she had left, Bouquet turned to Shu. "You said that I was young for living alone, but aren't _you_ a little young for drinking coffee?"

Shu shrugged. "I told you, my grandpa's a blacksmith. I work with him, so I need something to stay awake. I didn't like it at first, but I drink it so much that I'm used to it now."

"Well... If you say so."

Like the woman had said, everything was done shortly; she and a waiter brought the two cups and a medium-sized plate piled high with sweets.

"Please enjoy." they both said at the same time, bowing.

"Thank you for the meal." Bouquet and Shu said, simultaneous and polite.

After they had gone, the two added a few things to their drinks, going back to their conversation from before.

Everything had been going pretty good. Until the owner of the café came out.

"You!" he pointed an accusing finger at Bouquet. "I told you I never wanted to see you again!"

Bouquet shrunk back. "B-but..."

"I fire you and tell you to leave, _then_ you start eating here and I tell you to leave, and _now_ you bring someone to eat _with_ you and I have to tell you to leave again. If you keep coming around here, I'm going to call the authorities."

Shu stood. "Why don't you leave her alone?"

"I wasn't talking to you." the owner said shortly.

Bouquet pulled on Shu's waistcloth urgently. "Come on, let's go. If we hurry, we can still get away."

"I'm not going to run," he walked out of her reach. "I won't give up."

"Did she even bother to tell you that she doesn't have any money?" he folded his arms.

"_That's_ what this is about?" Shu looked at him, mouth wide open. "Look, if that's all, I'll pay for it."

"Now, you- say what?" the owner cut off mid-sentence as what Shu had said sunk in.

"You heard me. I pay you, and you leave her alone." he'd already started reaching for his money pouch.

"You'd do that? For that... that _imbecile_?" he glared at Bouquet when she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah. How much do you want?"

"10,000 gold."

"WHAT?!" Shu's hands started to shake. That much money... He sighed. "Fine," he threw the coins on the table. "Take it and leave her be."

"Good riddance," the owner turned to leave. "And while you're at it, tell her to stop coming around here until she gets some cash."

After the waitress from before had come and collected the gold, Shu checked the inside of the pouch. He tried to count it by eye, but failed miserably; he'd never been good with math. Still, he could tell there was a lot gone from what had been there before. "Jiro is _not_ going to be happy about this..."

Bouquet, who hadn't heard him, was still staring at him in shock from when he'd told off the café owner. "Shu, that was amazing."

"Huh?" he looked at her over his shoulder.

"What you just did! It was incredible!"

"Oh, that?" Shu tucked the pouch back into his pocket. "That was nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing to me!" Bouquet grabbed his hand, starting to pull him along. "Come on! I want to show you some more stuff!"

**Okay, Chapter 2 done! There was going to be more in this chapter, but I didn't want it to get too long. Chapter 3 should be up pretty soon, though I haven't been feeling well, so it might take a little longer. I'll try to write it fast, though; I already know what's supposed to happen, so it won't take that long. ;) See you then!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi, guys. Here's Chapter 3. For a change, it **_**wasn't**_** my fault that this wasn't up sooner; I've had this chapter ready for several hours, but Chapter 2 didn't reach the 10 hit mark until now. Before we continue, let's do the review replies.**

**WindGoddess Rune:** It might be. It shouldn't be too long before we find out. ;) He won't be seeing too much more stuff, but what he _will_ be seeing will be pretty interesting. Sorry for the wait - here it is. :)

**ultimashadow:** Maybe. But if I said, it would spoil the surprise. ;) Thanks; this one is a little easier than _Troubles on White Day_, because I've been working on this for a long time (before I joined the site and even made _Troubles on White Day_) and I know where I want it to go. Hope you like the chapter. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Oh, really? That's too bad; I saw the preview and thought the same thing. No worries; you didn't spoil anything for me. I'm not planning on watching Episode 44 until it's translated. ;) The only reason I watched 43 was because of the artwork. I'm kind of a big fan of Miyako Tsuji's work on Blue Dragon - she's either the art director or character designer, I could never tell - since the episodes she does are so close to how it's really supposed to look. Yeah, I'm kind of picky like that. *blushes* That's also why at a certain point there's a gap between the episodes I've watched - eventually, I got tired of waiting for subs and just went to watching the episodes that Tsuji-san worked on. Oh, about the Investiture Beings; I translated the kanji of "Joui Seimeitai" as Superior Life Forms, though you can call them Investiture Beings if you want. :) As for _certain_ unforgivable mistranslations (I'm looking at you, Viz)... If someone says/writes "Rosekstan" instead of "Rosenkreuz" one more time, I'm going to go out of my mind. How the _heck_ did they ever translate it as _that_? It's not even a word! At least Rosenkreuz is - another Japanese thing I checked on the Japanese Wikipedia. :) Sorry for the rant, and thanks for saying that. *blushes again* I'm looking forward to replying to your next review when the next chapter is up. :D

**Okay, there are the replies. This chapter might be a little longer than normal, but once you've read all of it, I think you'll agree with me that it's worth it. ;) So... After the pest - I mean, disclaimer - we'll get to the story. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Dragon. But I am making up my minor characters that I own. :D**

_Chapter 3: Shinkyou (Progress)_

"Marumaro... Marumaro, come on. Wake up." Kluke pushed on Marumaro's arm.

He mumbled in his sleep, something that sounded suspiciously like "Lady Zola", rolling over.

Maybe she wasn't sounding desperate enough... "Please, Marumaro! Shu needs us!"

"Kluke!" Jiro called from where he was working on the mechat, a small "ow" following.

"What?"

"Make him something to eat."

Kluke gaped at him. "Are... Are you kidding?"

"No."

"But-"

"Go ahead. It won't take you that long. It's not like we're going anywhere." He took it out on the mechat with a kick to emphasize his point.

Kluke looked from Jiro to Marumaro, then sighed. "Okay."

* * *

Bouquet had been showing him around Kolin more, mostly to unimportant things - namely, the fountain in the middle of the city.

Shu liked Bouquet a lot; she was a really cute kid. But he was seriously starting to worry about the others. After all, the last time he'd seen them they'd been in a sandstorm. He was enjoying the tour of the city, but he felt guilty having a good time while his friends might be hurt.

"Bouquet... Can you hang on a second?"

She could tell from his tone that he was upset. "What's wrong?"

"I... I've been having a good time going around the city with you, I really have. You're really nice, and I'd like to be your friend-"

"My friend?" Bouquet interrupted him, her eyes shining.

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just... I've never had a friend before. I mean, I've never had a friend like you before." She said the last part rather quickly.

"Oh... Well, I guess we're friends then." he took her hand, giving it a quick shake.

When he let go, Bouquet looked at her hand, smiling warmly and cradling it to her chest. "Thank you."

"No problem, but... Bouquet, I'm going to have to leave soon. If you're still wondering, I don't normally fall out of the sky; I got knocked out of my ship by a storm."

Bouquet gasped. "That's awful..."

"Yeah, it didn't feel good, either. Anyway, my friends were still in the ship when I fell out, and I'd like to make sure they're okay."

"I understand." Bouquet looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to spend more time with you."

She brightened slightly. "Would it be okay if I showed you one more place before you go?"

"As long as it doesn't take that long, sure."

"Okay, come on!" she pulled him by the wrist again, cheered considerably.

A few minutes later found them in front of an antique shop. "Is this the place?" Shu asked her, eyebrows arched.

"Yep!" Bouquet gave a vigorous nod, making her hair swing a little. "This is my favorite place. Come on, I'll show you inside."

* * *

Kluke had only been cooking over the newly-made fire for about five minutes when Marumaro woke up.

He sat straight up, sniffing the air wildly. "I smell Kluke's stew."

She dropped her spoon into the pot with a clang, standing and crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't believe you. Here we are, worried sick about you, and the only thing that you care about is food. Next time a monster knocks you out, I'll use a steak dinner instead of a Phoenix Talon."

"Too much money." Jiro said without looking up.

"Maro didn't know any better!" Marumaro jumped up. "Maro was asleep!"

"Yeah, I noticed." Kluke's voice trembled.

"Well... is the food done? Maro is hungry!"

Kluke sighed, giving up. "Yeah. It'll be done in a minute."

They were interrupted by a very familiar humming.

The following shriek resounded through the canyon, and could be heard from several miles away:

"Oh my God, I think I _fixed_ it!!!"

* * *

"...and it was used by the Ancients almost everyday." Bouquet finished her explanation, setting the item down.

Shu was extremely relieved that she was finished, since he thought his brain might melt if she gave him anymore information. "Uh... Yeah." he nodded, trying to make it seem like he'd been listening.

"It's so cool!" Bouquet spun around the store. "This place is the best _ever_."

"How come you like it here so much?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She giggled. "All of the artifacts, silly!"

Shu blushed a little; it's never a good feeling to be teased by someone younger than you. "But you don't-" he cut off when a strange sound cut through the air. Shu got into a fighting stance, looking from left to right. "What was that?"

"Oh, that's just Mashu." Bouquet waved her hand dismissively. When Shu looked at her funny, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on; I'll show you."

She pulled him along, once again, weaving through the high piles of antiques. When they reached the end, they were in front of a counter. Behind it was a little old man, asleep and snoring. "Mashu owns the artifact shop. I've always wanted to say hello to him, but he's always asleep whenever I get here..."

"Well, that's one mystery solved." Shu pinched his forehead between the eyebrows.

"Here, I still haven't shown-" Bouquet stopped talking abruptly. Something flickered in her eyes, possibly fear. Her face was as white as a sheet.

"Bouquet? Are you okay?" Shu reached toward her.

Just as quickly as the mood had come, it was gone, and she was her cheerful self again. "Never better! Like I was saying, I still haven't shown you the best part yet!" she raced off, but she didn't pull him along this time.

"Wait!" Shu chased after her.

Shu tried to follow her through another antique maze, but he was starting to lose her. Every once in a while, he would see a flash of blue and white. But those times were getting fewer and fewer.

"Bouquet! Where are you?" Shu was starting to understand how afraid Jiro had been when they were little - the feeling of not being able to find the younger person you were looking for was terrifying.

As he continued on, he thought he heard voices. It sounded like a high-pitched voice, maybe Bouquet or another girl, and a much deeper voice, definitely male. He couldn't make out exactly what their voices sounded like other than the pitches, and couldn't even _begin_ to understand what they were saying. He did, however, try calling out. "Hello? Is someone there?"

The voices stopped immediately. He thought he heard some rustling, but then even that became quiet.

"Please, if someone's there, answer me. I'm looking for my friend. I think she's lost." He was starting to think of how silly he'd been; when he heard the voices, he'd been thinking something ominous was in the works. But it was probably just some people who had come to buy antiques from the store.

There was no answer. Not even a sound.

Shu sighed. Fine; if the people wouldn't help him, he'd find Bouquet himself. With that thought in mind, he continued through the maze.

He'd been going for several minutes when he heard a flute playing. It made him hopeful; if there was someone else in here, maybe they'd be more willing to help him than the people from before. It was good, too, because he was starting to feel dizzy.

"Excuse me? You, playing the flute - did you see a little girl with black pigtails run by?"

The music continued, like Shu had never been heard.

"What is it with the people in this place?" Shu whispered harshly to himself. "Are they all arrogant jerks with sticks up their- ow!" Shu caught himself as he tripped. Looking down on the floor, he saw that his assaulter was a jewelry box.

Pulling himself up, he continued, the flute-playing getting louder. "I _hate_ this place. I don't care how much Bouquet likes it; it's a stinking death trap!"

Finally, like he was at the end of a tunnel, he saw some light poking through. "Finally..." Pushing through, he found himself in a cleared area, like everything had been pushed away from this one spot. In the center was a person in a pure white, hooded cloak, the one playing the flute.

"E-excuse me..." Shu had gotten more dizzy all of a sudden, more dizzy than he'd ever been in his entire life. What was happening to him?

The song increased in tempo, becoming faster and faster until it ended in one sharp and decisive note. Shu passed out, hitting the floor, the flute player standing over his unconscious body.

**Cliffhanger time! Anyone else see that coming besides me? ;D Well, it certainly leaves a lot open for next chapter. Unfortunately, we won't be finding out what's happening with Shu and Bouquet; next chapter will focus on Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro. Possibly a quick cameo from Zola. ;) And when I say cameo, I just mean that we'll stopping by Zola's way to see how she's doing - it's not like she isn't going to be in this; she will be playing a big role in this story, especially later on. Zola isn't really supposed to show up yet, but I know that some of you are probably wondering what she's up to. I am, too, actually. :) So, review if you can... I understand if you can't. And I can get reviews if you're not a member of the site, so... Just wondering where I'm getting all these hits from, but no pressure; I won't die if I don't get any reviews. ;) Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, and I'll see you next time. :D **


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 up! I wanted to get it up sooner, but - ow - I'm not feeling well. But, though I should do this in the replies, I would like to thank Prince of Tennis' Shaman for constantly cheering me up with reviews; I'm already starting to feel better. :D And because of that, I've been spurred on to make a better chapter than what would've been here before. I'm going to do my best! *insert peace sign here* Let's get to the replies!**

**SoujaGirl:** Evil flute music indeed. ;) Normally I don't like to give things away, but I think I can tell you this without giving away too much - the flute music isn't actually evil in itself, though what it was being used for in that instance is evil; how could you hurt a cute (though often rude) little boy like Shu? Thanks. I'll try to keep it up. :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** We always need a cliffhanger now and then. ;) This story will likely be riddled with them as it develops. Bouquet should be okay, but as for Shu... We'll have to see.

**ultimashadow:** Oh, you have no idea. ;) Ah, well, maybe you do. Who am I to say? Aw... thanks. *insert blushing here*

**WindGoddess Rune:** Your wish is my command; though her part is short, she's there - read on. ;)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** I know; the steak dinner was just something that popped into my head, mostly because I couldn't think of anything else. I also thought that Jiro saying it was too expensive tied in nicely with how Shu was worried about what Jiro would say when he found out about giving the money to the café owner. I know; poor kid. He should be okay in the long run... Thanks; whatever the genre of the story is, I always love adding a little suspense. ;) Well, here it is; your reviews got me encouraged again, so I'm confident in this chapter. Thanks - hope you like the other stories, too.

**Okay, replies are done. :) There won't be much action in this chapter - mostly talking. But Zola will finally make a short appearance, so that's probably worth it. ;) Well, after the disclaimer, we'll get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own - ow - Blue Dragon. I'm not as sick as before, but I still can't think of anything to say.**

_Chapter 4: Hacchaku (Arrival and Departure)_

"Pardon my bluntness, Your Highness, but... How could this be true?" Zola looked up from the papers in her hands.

"My men have checked it several times," King Jibral shook his head. "There's no doubt. It's such a shame that this has happened..." he sighed.

"If that's true, then I'll need to get back to my companions as quickly as possible. They could be in danger, especially Shu and Marumaro." Zola turned to leave.

"Zola!"

She turned when he called her. "Yes?"

His face was a little reddened. "Please be careful."

Zola smiled. "I will."

* * *

"This is great!" Jiro let his head fall back, the wind blowing his hair all over the place. "I can't believe it's working!"

"That's because you know machines." Kluke grinned, leaning on the top of the chair with folded arms.

Jiro blushed a little. "I don't know nearly as much as Shu; he's the expert on the mechat. A lot of it is focusing your energy. If I didn't know more about machines, I'd let you do it."

"Well, I don't and I don't plan to. You can have it." She waved her hand.

"Wheee!" Marumaro, in the meantime, was having the time of his life; once he'd discovered that the mechat gun could swing 360, he'd immediately taken to playing on it like a merry-go-round.

"Marumaro, don't do that!" Jiro would've looked over his shoulder if he wasn't focusing on piloting the ship. "If you fall off, the wind will take you right off the side!"

Marumaro stopped immediately. "Like Shu?"

Jiro swallowed past the sudden lump on his throat. "Yeah. Like Shu."

Kluke straightened up, still keeping one hand on the chair. "Jiro... How are we going to find Shu? We can't go back into that storm."

"Maybe it's stopped by now."

"Don't be ridiculous," she placed a fisted hand on her hip. "You know a storm that big isn't going to stop right away."

"Why don't we go around it?" Marumaro popped up all of a sudden, making both Kluke and Jiro scream.

"Don't do that!" Jiro managed to breath out. "I have a heart condition!"

"I already told you that you don't," Kluke rolled her eyes, her tone telling that they'd been over this several times. "You just think you do. The only thing you have is bad nerves."

"Fine," Jiro said as he straightened out his hair. "But I think you have a point, Marumaro. We might be able to go around it. Once we find some solid ground, we'll land and try to get to where he fell by foot."

"If we barely survived in the air, what's to say we won't get killed on the land?" Kluke shook her head. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"If Jiro could repair the Drill Machine..." Marumaro let his sentence trail off.

"Absolutely not!" Jiro yelled, making the Devee shrink back. "I nearly broke my neck trying to get this thing fixed. Besides, the Drill Machine is in perfect condition. The only problem is that _someone_ overheated it."

Marumaro kicked the ground, embarrassed. "Maro had to get back to his village fast."

"I know. That's why it isn't an option." Jiro nodded. "If we're on the ground, we can bring out our Shadows. Then we can use some Wind spells to fight against the storm."

"You mean _I_ will use Wind spells to fight against the storm." Kluke looked at him through lidded eyes.

"Marumaro doesn't have as strong magic as you. And my Wind spells are out of control; I almost got you killed that time." Jiro said sheepishly.

Kluke shrugged. "That's what Shu told me; I wasn't conscious, so I couldn't say whether you did or not." She smiled, looking thoughtful. "I never thanked you for catching me when I slid down that incline, did I?"

Jiro's face, which had originally returned to its normal shade, turned completely crimson. "I-it wasn't a big deal."

"It's a pretty big deal to me. You saved my life."

"So has Shu. And Marumaro, and Zola. We've all saved each other's lives several times."

"Well, thanks anyway," she patted him on the head, giggling. "I'm glad you're around."

Marumaro poked his arm when Kluke had left. "Jiro, how come your face's all red?"

"Sh-shut up." he mumbled.

"Do you like Kluke?"

"Would you let me fly this thing!?" Jiro screamed suddenly. He'd underestimated Shu; Jiro had no idea how Shu had the patience to keep this ship going.

* * *

It was several hours before they landed, long enough that the sun had started to set. The trio had decided to set up camp where they put down the ship, rather than brave the sandstorm at night. Kluke had made some more stew, and they went to bed a little while after. But one of them didn't stay asleep.

Jiro couldn't sleep. Not when Shu was out there and he had no idea where he was. While the two of them had been inseparable as small children, they'd been starting to drift apart, especially after Jiro had become sure he had feelings for Kluke; he'd known that they were falling away from each other for sure after their fight in Pachess Town. But when Shu had fallen out of the mechat, all of that "separation" nonsense had been thrown out the window.

He leaned his head against his folded arms, bringing his knees closer to his chest; he was sitting in front of the fire, but his thoughts were still making him chilled. How could things have gotten to this?

"Jiro?" he jumped when he heard Kluke's voice. "What are you doing up?" Her words were a little slurred from sleepiness.

"N-nothing. You should try to get some rest."

"I'm fine," she stood, yawning. "It's easy for me to go back to sleep."

He felt goosebumps through his sweater when she sat down next to him. "That may be true, but I still think you should rest."

"Bah." she waved her hand dismissively. "But why are you awake?"

Jiro sighed. "I'm just worried."

"About what?"

Jiro smiled a little. "About which thing, you mean."

"You know what I mean."

"Isn't it obvious?" he ran his hands through his hair.

"I suppose so. I'm worried about him, too."

"I thought you'd be more worried," he glanced at her, curious. "More than me, anyway."

"I am worried. But, I've had a lot of practice hiding how I feel." she looked into the fire, her eyes distant, remembering.

Jiro swallowed, a little nervous. Kluke had never revealed anything like this to him. He'd suspected this was true, but he'd never actually asked her. During his reconciliation with Shu (coincidentally, also in Pachess, and the very night after the fight), he'd learned that Kluke was always trying to smile and hide when she cried. Still, it was different for her to say it _to_ him, and he felt a little warmed by the fact that she would share something like that with him, even in passing.

She brightened suddenly. "That aside, I have faith in Shu. I know he can take care of himself if he has to, even though that fact doesn't stop me from worrying. And if he... hadn't made it when he fell, I would've felt it. I know you would've, too."

"Yeah," Jiro nodded, already starting to feel this particular worry about Shu start to ebb away. "You're right. I guess I'm just being a little paranoid." he chuckled nervously.

"Well, you can be paranoid while you sleep," she stood, brushing her skirt off. "I'm sure you already are."

"You have no idea." Jiro wasn't sarcastic in the least bit.

"Come on," Kluke held her hand out to him. "Seems like you have some dreaming to catch up on."

* * *

In an antique shop far away, a supposedly broken Ancient machine flickered to life, a man with purple skin in its screen. "Did you get him?"

The person wearing the white cloak nodded, saying nothing, the boy cradled in her arms.

"Excellent. Bring him to me quickly. Do not delay. His companions will be here soon. The youngest one with them is a Devee child, so there's no reason for you to stay to collect him."

As suddenly as the screen had come to life, it turned off, and the person disappeared into the antique maze soon after.

**And chapter four is done! It seems shorter than last time, but I don't know. Anyway, next chapter will probably have Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro fighting through the sandstorm, or I might decide to just skip ahead to when they get to Kolin; I'll have to write it out and see which looks better. Anyway, review if you like. I'll try to get the next chapter up after 10 hits, and I hope you have a good day! :D**


	6. Chapter 5

**Finally made it to chapter five! Man, am I exhausted! And sick. I've been up for about seven - ow - hours, and I'd been up twenty-two hours before I went to sleep. I can't even believe I was up for that long! And I - ow - wonder why I'm sick? Everyone told me to go to sleep, but I was in pain, and it just wakes me up anyway so... Still. But, never mind that right now; I want to finish this up so I can get some more sleep! So, with that, we'll do the review replies.**

**pepperdadog:** Wow, the pioneer of Blue Dragon fan fiction reviewed my story! I'm so honored! :D Glad you like it. Oh, wow - don't let my writing get in the way of yours. I'm really excited to see chapter three of _Rapture_. :) It was today? Hm... does that mean that the next chapter could come out soon? ;) Anyway, here's chapter five, and thanks for reviewing. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Yay, you came back early this time! :D I know; he worries so much, doesn't he? Oh, don't worry; they probably won't be in here for a while, but those scenes are in the works this very moment. ;) This is probably giving away some of the story, but a key part of the end of the beginning (or beginning of the middle) of _Blue Dragon Beyond_ will have to do with Shu and Jiro's childhood. Yeah, I loved writing it. XD I already said that he worries, but Jiro does it so much that this isn't even the first condition he thinks he has. Hm... I might have to make that into a running gag (along with several others in the works). ;) Yeah - next chapter's already up at this point, but I'm hoping you still see this reply at some point. Oh, the episodes that Miyako Tsuji did are 1, 8, 13, 21, 27, 35, 39 and 43. Tsuji-san didn't do as much in 39, but there was enough evidence of her input for me to include it. ;) Well, there's seems to be this PM thing... I'm still not really sure how it works, since I hadn't even known what it was until I came on this site, but I think you could try it through there. You just click on "Send Message" on the author's profile, or something like that; I've only sent one and don't remember how I did it, but I've been getting messages from WindGoddess Rune. Also, I could send you my e-mail in a message - just to be safe, I'm not going to put it on my profile. ;) Hope you like this chapter, too. :)

**Okay, there are the review replies. This chapter's - ow - a little bit longer than last time, and should be better as well. Of course, that's for you to decide. ;) I like it, anyway. So, after the disclaimer and two quick notes, we'll start the story!**

**Note: I should have done this sooner, but I'll go ahead and do it now. About Kolin: The appearance of the city is kind of like a cross between the Kolin from the Blue Dragon anime, Jibral, Uhra from Lost Odyssey, and a little bit of my own imagining. It leans towards Uhra the most, except the buildings are taller and mostly made of clay. Sorry about not mentioning it earlier. :P I'm so forgetful sometimes. Ow.**

**Note 2: In this chapter, Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro's appearances are slightly changed; the only difference is that they where light brown capes. It's similar to the one that Bouquet wears in Episode 8 (season one) of the anime. Another cape that looked similar in the Blue Dragon anime is the cape that Daner from Season 2 wears.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Blue Dragon, it would probably connect more obviously to Lost Odyssey.**

_Chapter 5: Yukue (Whereabouts)_

Marumaro yelled as the wind swept him off his feet. He'd never thought he'd go out like this...

Jiro grabbed his hand before he got too far away. "Hang on! Kluke," he looked over at her. "We have to fight against it more!"

"I'm trying," she grated, having Phoenix set off another Windus spell. It cut a small hole through the storm, which the trio immediately ran through. "Windus takes a lot of magic to use - I don't know how long I can keep this up!"

"We have to keep trying!" Jiro shielded his eyes from the sand. "We're almost there; I can feel it!"

* * *

Nene looked up from the panel in surprise. "You got here faster than I suspected."

"Suspected!" Deathroy mimicked.

As usual, they said nothing - the boy was still cradled in their arms.

"Teleportation, I presume. You must be tired then," he waved lazily to the side. "Take him to the room set out for him - Szabo will direct you - and then take a little rest yourself. We'll talk more later." he smirked.

"Later!"

The person's head dipped down - it was impossible to tell whether it was a nod or a bow - and they left the way they'd come in.

Nene sighed once the doors had closed. "I wonder if she can be trusted..."

"Trusted..."

"I'll consider that more at another time. For now, to finish what I had started..." He returned to the panel, pressing a red square button.

* * *

Jiro was starting to think that Kluke was right about it being a bad idea, when, very abruptly, the storm stopped. It was so sudden, in fact, that once the force pushing against them was gone, the three of them fell to the ground.

"What just happened...?" Kluke looked around. There was no trace of there ever being a storm - there was only desert.

Jiro spat out some sand. "I told you it would stop."

"But it isn't normal," she raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm surprised you aren't worried."

"I am worried," he shrugged. "I'm just worried about so many things, it isn't worth mentioning it."

"Hey!" Marumaro pointed at the horizon. "Maro sees a building over there!"

Looking harder, it was apparent that there was a structure out there; several, actually.

"It must be a village or a town." Kluke said as she stood.

"Maybe someone there has seen Shu. Or saw him fall, at least," Jiro came over to stand next to Kluke, brushing himself off. "Let's go and see what we can find out."

* * *

When Shu woke up, he was lying on something incredibly soft. As he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he saw that he was in another unfamiliar place.

He was on a bed; it reminded him a little of Zola's, but it wasn't as grand. The rest of the room was the same royal blue, but there was practically nothing in it at all.

When he decided to look around, he began to push himself off the bed, but felt something hard underneath his hand. Pulling the sheets back, he found five coins. Absentmindedly wondering why he always found gold in such strange places, he pocketed it and hopped off.

As he stretched, he felt something cold push against his neck. He grabbed to feel what it was, then froze as he felt metal. Looking down, he groaned loudly as he saw the familiar collar. "Not again..."

* * *

Jiro slumped to the ground when they reached the city, leaning back on his hands. "I can't believe we made it..."

"Where is this?" Kluke wondered aloud. "I thought we'd been to all of the deserts on the continent, but I've never seen or heard of any place like this. And this city is bigger than Jibral; you'd think that someone would at least mention it, or we'd even see it while we were flying around."

"The sign over here says it's the city of Kolin." Marumaro was standing on the tips of his toes.

Kluke crossed her arms over her chest. "You read a lot, Jiro; have you ever heard of a place by that name?"

Jiro shook his head. "No. But maybe we can find out more if we ask around. And hopefully find out happened to Shu."

Finding people was easy to do, since the city was gigantic. But no one seemed to know what they meant when they asked where they were, and they always said they'd never seen a boy like the one they described.

It had been almost an hour, and Jiro was starting to get discouraged. "Maybe no one here knows..."

"Come on," Kluke looped her arm through his, looking forward determinedly, ignorant of how his face heated up. "Don't give up. We probably haven't even asked a quarter of the population yet."

He sighed; Kluke was always the one who liked to talk to every single person when they entered a town. Jiro preferred to just get any supplies they needed and get out as quickly as possible.

"Hey, you guys!" Marumaro slid on his feet out of one the alleys, coming to a stop in front of them. "There's a big commotion up ahead! Maro wanted to wait to check it out until you guys were with Maro!"

" 'I' and 'me'." Jiro said flatly.

"Never mind that!" Kluke lightly swatted his arm. "Show us where it is, Marumaro."

He led them back down the alley that he'd come out of. When it reached it's end, they found themselves behind a huge crowd.

Jiro gaped at all the people. "How are we supposed to get through _this_?"

"We push through, of course!" Before Jiro or Kluke could say anything, Marumaro had grabbed one of their hands in each of his and started plowing through.

Several bruised people later, they managed to get to the front.

A little girl was talking and gesturing to what looked like one of the city guards; the trio had just managed to catch the end of what she was saying. "...and then they were gone! It was like magic!"

The man nodded. "Alright. You're free to go. Thank you for your report," he turned to the ground. "Did anyone else see what happened?"

Everyone in the crowd started jumping up and down, wildly waving there hands, all of them talking a mile a minute.

Kluke started getting crushed between two people. "Ow, hey!" She felt around for Marumaro, finding him by the pointy pot on his head and his shortness. "Jiro, where are you?" She started reaching around for him as well, trying to look through the blur of people. "Jiro!"

But Jiro was already some distance away; he'd shot forward as soon as the guard had let the little girl go. Finally catching up with her, he grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her around gently. "Excuse me, but I need to talk to you."

She was a little frightened when he first took hold of her, but relaxed a little once it seemed like he wasn't going to hurt her. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

"Can you tell me what you told that guard?"

"Sure," she nodded. "I'd been coming out of the candy store, and then this person in a white cloak with a hood came out of the antique shop carrying this unconscious boy! All of a sudden these light blue rings started floating up from the ground with the two of them inside, and then they were gone! It was like magic! That's what I told the guard." her voice dropped back to normal after she finished perfectly imitating her tone from before.

Jiro swallowed, feeling chilled all over despite the hot sun beating down on them; his stomach was churning out of control. "What did the boy look like?" his voice was tight.

"Well, he was being carried, but he looked kinda short, probably short for his age if his face is anything to go by. He had dark brown spiky hair, almost black, and it was tied back. He was wearing a black tank top, and a red...."

The rest of what the little girl had said was lost on Jiro; he let his back fall against the wall behind him.

**Phew! Chapter 5 done! Can't think of - ow - much to say... Probably because I'm tired. I don't know exactly where to go with the next chapter, but I know it'll come to me as I write it. I'm already plotting as we speak. ;) Review if you can; I'm still aiming for 10 hits, but it'll probably be late because I'm going to be asleep for a while. On that note, I'm going to go upload the next chapter of _Troubles on White Day_ and then go to bed. See ya! :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 is **_**finally**_** up! I am so sorry this wasn't up sooner; as I'm sure many of you know, I was pushing to finish **_**Troubles on White Day**_** before Valentine's Day (not including the ending omake, which was done on the 15th) so all of my other stories kind of got put on the back burner. Now that **_**Troubles on White Day**_** is over, though, my other stories should start to resume their normal pace. I'd also like to apologize because it was supposed to be up earlier, but I had to go to the dentist, and a technician came over to fix my dad's computer... But I made a longer chapter to try to make up for it, and I'm **_**very**_** happy with how this one turned out. On that note, we'll get to the review replies (late as they may be).**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Oh, maybe. I won't tell. ;) Isn't it annoying? You'd think the guy would learn after they broke it the first time. Thanks. :)

**ultimashadow:** Nah, he just didn't feel the collar until he stretched. Though being in Nene's place, he'll probably see some robots or Deathroy soon enough. Thank you. And I was just kidding when I said/wrote that.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Thanks; I'm feeling much better now. :) I hate medicine, I sleep a lot as it is, but I did everything I needed to so I would feel better. Go ahead and send it whenever you feel like; I think I mentioned this already, but I hadn't read your other two stories because I wasn't familiar enough with the series. But I'd still like to read what you wrote. :) Aw, thanks; there'll be plenty more of those things in this chapter. I don't usually correct other people, but with my own stuff, my sometimes-perfectionist nature tends to hit hard when it comes to grammar. Er... I didn't make any mistakes last chapter, did I? Or did you just mention it because of Jiro? Or just because you felt like mentioning it? Ah, either way. Sorry this took so long, but I think you're going to like this chapter. ;)

**WindGoddess Rune:** He's sturdy; he should be okay for at least a little while. Unfortunately, since Shu is basically the only one who knows about Bouquet and cares about what happens to her - except for her supposed friend - we won't be finding out what happened to her for a while. But I'll try to get to that point soon.

**WindGoddess Rune:** Thank you. :) Coincidentally, while I'm writing this, I'm actually about to go to sleep right now. *insert sweatdrop here*

**WindGoddess Rune:** Who knows? Even I'm not entirely sure yet. But knowing him, it can't be anything good. We'll have to hope that Shu can hang on long enough for the others to rescue him.

**Okay, there are the replies. Again, sorry about the lateness. But after the disclaimer, we'll get to the long-awaited chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Do I have to keep putting this? Okay, okay... I don't own Blue Dragon.**

_Chapter 6: Gekihen (Upheaval)_

Kluke and Marumaro weren't really able to move until much later, after the sun was high in the sky. At least, that's how long it took for the crowd to clear out.

"Maro think's someone stepped on Maro's foot." he held it up to his face for investigation.

Kluke, though, was too worried at the moment to consider any injuries. "Jiro, where are you?!"

"Kluke, Jiro probably got lost. He'll come back soon."

"What's to say he isn't hurt?" Kluke looked around frantically.

Marumaro sighed, exasperated. "If you're that worried, we'll just go and look for him." he started pulling her along.

"Marumaro, this city's huge!"

"That's why we have to start looking _now_."

"But- ah!" Kluke cried out as something barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. Sitting up, her eyes widened in surprise as she saw what had done this. "Jiro!"

"Kluke!" His voice was more panicked and urgent then it had been in a while, like that time back then... "We've got problems!"

* * *

Shu had tried several different ways to get off the collar, but hadn't had any luck at all. In a last resort, he'd thrown himself against the locked door and started yelling for someone to come get him out.

He called for someone for a long time, but received no answer. He sunk to the ground, holding his now injured shoulder. "How the heck did this happen? Everything had been going fine... If Bouquet hadn't-" He snapped upright as he realized that he still hadn't found her. What had happened? Did that weird flute player take her, too? Out of frustration he banged his head against the wall. "I have to figure out a way to get out of here. There must be _something_ I can use..."

* * *

"What?!"

"That's what she said," he looked off in the direction he'd left the girl. "I'm sure she wasn't lying."

"But what are we gonna do?!" Marumaro hopped up and down, eager to get "equal footing" in the conversation.

"There's only one thing we can do: go to where Nene's hiding."

"How are we going to do that?! That thing-" Kluke stopped herself for a moment, thinking. "Where _is_ that thing? We never went back to check."

Jiro shook his head. "We were too caught up in getting our Shadows back. But it hasn't been that long since we left; it's reasonable to say that it's still there or somewhere nearby."

"Why are we going after Nene anyway?" Marumaro asked.

"Whoever did this warped Shu away, which means they know magic. The only way that we know of to get magic is from Nene, so he must have given this person a part of his soul for whatever reason. Maybe our's weren't enough for him."

Marumaro put his hands on his hips. "You're presuming an awful lot, Jiro."

"And who's to say that this person is working for Nene?" Kluke added.

"I already thought of that. If they aren't working for Nene, that would probably mean they're fighting against him like us. But he would still probably know where and who they are."

"What, we're going to go up and ask him 'Oh, Nene, you wouldn't happen to know who else is attacking you besides us, would you'?"

"... It sounds awful when you say it like that. But, yeah, that's basically it."

"Jiro, I never thought I'd say this to you in my entire life, but that's a stupid idea."

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?!" he was angry, but his voice trembled. "All I know is that Shu is in danger, and we don't have time to chase around some person who can warp away at any second!" he calmed down a little. "I never said this was a good plan - it's just the fastest one."

Kluke swallowed, still a little stunned; Jiro was usually so calm, even in a crisis, so she hadn't expected him to yell. Still, he hadn't really yelled that loudly. She supposed that losing his cool was the real shock. "Okay, Jiro. We'll try it."

His eyes widened as he realized what he'd done. He yelled at Kluke... Of all people, he yelled at _Kluke_. "Oh, Kluke, I... I shouldn't have done that."

"No, it's okay. You're upset, I'm upset... And you didn't yell that loud, anyway."

"But..."

"Are you two done yet?" Marumaro angrily looked between the two of them.

"Oh, right," Jiro shook his head, as if he was ridding himself of a bad dream. "Well, another advantage of going there is that we can go through Nene's database."

Kluke furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What's in his database?"

"Do you two remember how Nene used those screens on the robots?" He continued when they both nodded. "Well... This is just a theory, mind you... But I think he's using all of the Ancient machines to observe everything across the continent."

"What? Why would he do that?" Marumaro tilted his head.

"It's just... The way he's always ready for us, it's like he's been watching us. He always knows what to attack with, what to defend with. It's too many coincidences."

"I never thought about it like-"

"That's it!" Jiro yelled suddenly, cutting off Kluke. "If we could find some kind of Ancient machine, I might be able to rig it up so it would tell us where Nene is, kind of like the radar on the mechat."

"Really?" Kluke brightened; some good news at last.

"How would you do that?" And then she promptly deflated as Marumaro asked the question you never, _ever_ ask Jiro.

"Well, at the back of the machine there should be a..." Both of them tuned him out as he delved into his explanation.

* * *

"Man, I hope this works..." Shu still didn't know why he found these coins all over the place, but he was grateful for it now. It took him a while to think of it, though the idea itself was a stretch, and it would be a little while before it worked. But it was better than just sitting on his hands, right?

The coin just barely fit in the narrow space between the door and the wall; he was basically hoping to hit the lock and have enough strength to break it. It probably wasn't the best idea, since if the lock broke the wrong way, he'd be locked inside. But the thought hadn't really crossed his mind. But it probably-

"Oh, _shoot_!" the words were out of his mouth before the coin had even finished slipping through the other side.

Shu groaned, leaning against the door. He was trapped in a room, in Nene's hideout if the collar was anything to go by (though if it was someone else, that would probably explain why he was trying it again). And now he was one coin poorer. Thinking about it, he guessed it didn't really matter, but it bugged him nonetheless.

And it didn't help that he was unceremoniously dropped to the floor as the door suddenly opened, and he found himself looking up into the mechanical face of Szabo.

* * *

"Jiro... How did you know there would be one of these monitors in the antique shop?" Kluke looked over his shoulder as he worked, though what it was that he was doing was beyond her.

"It seemed like the most obvious place," he said nonchalantly, taking out some parts. "To anyone else, this thing is just junk."

"What does-" Marumaro couldn't finish what he was saying, as Kluke had clamped her hand over his mouth.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Jiro!" Kluke replied, cheerfully, then turned to glare at Marumaro, whispering harshly, "Do you _want_ him to go into another explanation?" She released him after he'd quickly shaken his head.

"Can one of you do me a favor and check the supplies to see if there's a spare Broken Eternal Engine? A Part of Eternal Engine would help, too."

"I think we have at least one of each... Here they are." she brought the two items and set them down next to him.

"Thanks."

"What do we need those for?" Kluke had to try very hard not to smack Marumaro.

Jiro looked over his shoulder with lidded eyes. "Do you _want_ me to go into another explanation?" Without waiting for them to reply, he went back to his work.

Kluke and Marumaro looked at each other, then at Jiro, then back at each other again.

"Oh, and I'm going to need the Green Barrier Device..."

* * *

Since Szabo didn't really have a mouth, you could never tell if he was smiling or frowning. But if the sound of his voice was anything to go by, it seemed like right now he'd love to be grinning. "I see you're enjoying yourself down there."

Shu pushed himself up, rolling away and landing on his feet. He pointed accusingly at the robot. "What am I doing here, Szabo?!" They had defeated Szabo; why had Nene repaired him? "And what happened to the girl I was with?!"

"Oh, you were with a _girl_?" Szabo thoroughly enjoyed as the boy turned as white as a sheet. "Lord Nene will want to know _all_ about this."

"You're not telling him anything!" What had he done? Bouquet had gotten away, otherwise Szabo would have known. Or was he just pretending not to know, so he could toy with him? Whatever it was, the goal remained clear - he had to find a way out of here.

"And how do you plan to stop me?" Szabo chuckled. "Without any magic to protect you, I could shoot your body full of bullets in a matter of seconds."

"I'd like to see you try." Shu talked absentmindedly, biting his lip, already trying to think of a way out of this. Szabo was still in the open doorway; there had to be a way to get out. Maybe, if he could get behind Szabo fast enough, he might be able to get to Szabo's operational panel. Shu was skilled with the mechat, but aside from metalworking (which also led to repairs), that's just about as far as his knowledge of machines went. But he did know enough to know how a robot worked, and if he could get to that panel, he would probably be able to paralyze Szabo for at least a few seconds...

"Don't push your luck, human. Lord Nene needs you alive, but he doesn't need your limbs."

"He doesn't need you, either, but you still seem to be alive." Yes, it would be enough time to escape. He just needed to figure out how to get close enough.

He couldn't grin, but he could narrow his eyes, and Szabo's eyes went dangerously low. "I won't warn you again."

"You don't need to." He briefly wondered if he'd pushed his luck, but this might be just what he needed; if Szabo attacked him in a blind rage, and he managed to get behind him, he might just be able to get behind him long enough to do what he needed.

Szabo readied his gun. "You're an annoying little pest, but in a minute, you'll be an annoying little pest without an arm."

Shu smirked. "Bring it."

* * *

"It worked!" Jiro punched in a few commands into the device, and both Kluke and Marumaro expected a laser to come blazing through the ceiling at any second. However, the only thing that happened was for the screen to turn on, displaying a dark green background with different colored dots scattered about.

Marumaro pointed at it. "It looks like the mechat radar."

"I already told you that it would. Besides- Huh?" Jiro leaned forward, squinting his eyes at the screen. "That doesn't seem right..."

"What is it?" Kluke looked at the screen, unable to tell what anything was.

"Can someone pass me the Blue Barrier Device?"

"Here." She was tempted to ask him why he needed it - or even the green one for that matter - but thought better of it and didn't.

A second or two later and he had hooked it up to both the Green Barrier Device and the monitor. "That's better."

"What was wrong?" Marumaro scratched his potted head.

"Wrong color configuration," he said simply. Taking in the stares he received, he added, "Don't look at me like that. It takes too long to explain. Now, let's see... We're here... And Nene is... here." he pointed to the yellow dot.

"Which is _where_ exactly?" Kluke was starting to rethink learning about how all of this technology worked.

Jiro smirked. "Perfect. He's only moved a mile from where he was, if even that. We can get to him easy."

"So does that mean we can rescue Shu now?" Marumaro asked.

Jiro nodded. "Yeah," he stood. "Let's go, guys."

* * *

Szabo let loose with a string of harsh curses; he didn't remember much after the little "conversation", but he knew enough to know that the brat had gotten away.

He'd practically turned the room over, but it was a moot point - there was hardly anything in there to use for hiding.

So, he headed outside; if he hurried, maybe he would catch him. "As soon as Lord Nene is done with him, I'll kill him myself..." He headed down the corridor.

As soon as Szabo was gone, a figure landed fairly gracefully (and barefoot) onto the spot where the robot had been hovering; for all of his faults, Shu was still agile and acrobatic.

"Thought he'd never leave..." he mumbled to himself as he pulled his shoes out of his pockets, relieved that they were out and wishing that he'd put them in the front instead of the back. He pulled them on and headed in the opposite direction of Szabo.

He had no clue where to go; the layout was typical of Nene's haunts - at least, the ones he'd been inside. And it was likely to be another maze that he would spend hours trying to get out of. But maybe he'd get lucky and find something that would help him escape. He didn't know what that would be, but there had to be something here.

He wished Jiro was here; if you had him with you, all you really had to do was tear a hole in the wall, and the genius would have a navigation system up and running in seconds. Of course, Shu didn't know how to do this.

This way probably led to something awful - possibly Nene - but it couldn't be as bad as following Szabo. Especially not now that he was out for Shu's blood; if there was anything the robot hated, it was being shown up.

He didn't really know how long he walked - though it was enough to make his feet hurt - before he finally came to a door. Normally, he wouldn't have gone inside just any door. But normally, you didn't hear sniffling on the other side.

His thankfulness at the door being open quickly gave away to shock as he took in the sight. He didn't know how many of them there were - Twenty? Fifty? More? - but all across the floor were children.

He swiftly and quietly made his way over to the closest one. Upon getting closer, he could see that they'd been collared like him, and they had a similar device to the collar on their feet, attached by energy to the ground so they couldn't get away. He shook her shoulder. "Hey. Are you okay?"

The little girl looked up at him in surprise, but seeing the collar, figured that he was just another one of them and not someone who had come to rescue them. "That person in the white cloak took me away from my family..." she whimpered.

A nearby boy stuck his head up. "Me too. They played a flute and I got dizzy, and then the next thing I knew, I was here."

Shu looked around at them, still shocked. "Is that what happened to all of you?"

At the same time, there were "yes's" and sounds of agreement, nodding of heads.

"What is Nene thinking?" Shu asked himself. "Why does he have all these kids here?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Shu felt a chill go down his spine as he heard the voice, fear hitting him hard as he realized he had no way of protecting himself or the children from Chimera's power. "You'll all find out soon enough."

"Soon enough!" Once he'd finished mimicking, Deathroy cackled loud enough to echo throughout the room.

**Whew! Finally done. :) Like I said earlier, I'm very happy with this chapter, especially towards the end. I'd had some writer's block at first, but even though it wasn't related at all, I found this extremely well-written Sonic the Hedgehog story and my writing just seemed to roll from there... So, review if you get the chance. Hopefully the next update won't take me quite so long. See you in a while. :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 at last! I'm so sorry this wasn't up sooner, guys! Two days since I updated any of my stories, and four days for **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** in particular. Ack. Anyway, I'll just do the replies real quick...**

**ultimashadow:** Of course you were right. I just couldn't say anything, so I changed the subject of my reply to being about the collar, since saying anything else would have given it away. ;) You bet. The parrot... Oh, I _love_ that. XD You mind if I use that at some point in the future? And thanks; I'll do my best. :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Yes, he has. Well... What I _do_ know would give everything away if I said, so I can't say anything. But I'm not even entirely sure. And I'm _writing_ this thing!

**WindGoddess Rune:** They should get there soon. Maybe even this chapter, in fact; read on and see.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Ah, you came back again! :D Aw, I'm glad; I have so much fun writing _Blue Dragon Beyond_, so I'm always glad when people like it. Works out for everyone. :) Really? Yay! :D I can't wait to see it. :) If I can help at all, let me know. (Note to everyone reading this: If _anyone_, including Shaman, needs help with their stories, feel free to ask me if you think I can help. I'd be glad to do whatever I can.) Phew! Glad I didn't make any mistakes! Whenever I make spelling/grammar mistakes, it makes me want to climb up a wall. :P Oh, I know what you mean. Jiro's character is just so great, it's hard not to talk about him. ;) Thought you might; it was probably my favorite chapter to write so far. Aw, that's sweet. :) Yeah, he is. :D I felt that his mechanical talent was slightly downplayed in the game, so I like bumping up his knowledge a bit if I can. :) I'm still working on the other replies to your reviews; they should be up a few minutes after this one.

**Okay, there are the replies. I'm sure that those of you who have read chapter two of **_**War Stories**_** already know this, but I'll mention this for everyone else who hasn't read it yet: the disclaimer has been discontinued in all of my stories. New stories will have a disclaimer on the first chapter, but will not have one in the following chapters. If someone thinks that I shouldn't do this, please let me know in your review. Anyway, since there's no disclaimer, we can just go straight to the chapter title and the story. :)**

_Chapter 7: Sashikakaru (Approach_)

Shu was trembling very badly, but he tried not to show it. He couldn't use his Shadow, but that didn't mean he would give up. Besides... He hadn't had much magic (if any) before the collar had been put on him, but maybe the Dragon would manage to force his way out somehow. It wasn't as if it was the first time. "What do you want with us, Nene?"

The Ancient chuckled. "I already told you that you'd find out soon. Isn't that good enough for you?"

"For you?!"

"I want answers." Shu stood his ground, taking one of the hands of the children when he felt one cling to his clothes.

Nene shook his head. "There's no point in giving information to someone who won't need it."

"Won't need it!"

He held back a groan. Nene was smart. Very, very smart. If he wasn't going to say anything, then there wasn't much chance Shu would find out what he wanted to know. But if he couldn't find answers, why not annoy him a little? The thought was probably more than suicidal, but... "My friends are going to come for me. And we're strong now, strong enough to beat you. We broke your little toy, you know. A little bit of rest, and this thing won't be able to stop me, either." he tugged on the collar.

A few moments passed by. Shu had talked loudly, but he was starting to wonder if Nene had heard him. So it took him by surprise when Nene started laughing loudly. "Oh yes, little one, I'm sure you will. In fact, I'm counting on it."

He couldn't control the trembling now. Another thing about Nene was that if he was happy with something, it usually meant bad things for everyone else. "Then you won't be disappointed. Because as soon as my Shadow slices this thing off, I'm coming for you."

Nene scoffed. "Enough of this foolish banter. I have things to do."

"Things to do!"

Nene snapped his fingers, Deathroy copying his movements. A door opened, a person coming out of it. A person in a white cloak.

The children screamed, grabbing for Shu and each other, afraid of what most of them had nicknamed the "sleepy song". The force almost knocked him over, but he stood straight. If he was going to die, he at least wanted to be standing.

"Hello, dear," Nene addressed the flute player. "I'm glad that you could join us. You've brought me some very lively children. Too lively, unfortunately. I think they might need to hear a little lullaby to calm them down."

"Calm them down!"

Shu clamped his hands over his ears, but the other children were too slow. The flute player struck up the same song that put them all to sleep. Many of the children went down after two notes, but some stayed up a little longer. Eventually, though, Shu was the only one left standing.

"You're very strong for someone your age and size," Nene commented matter-of-factly. "But, you're a lot of trouble. Still, you're going to be far more useful to me than any of those other sniveling whelps, so I suppose that cancels out how annoying you are."

"How annoying!"

"I won't... give up..." It was mostly just a dizzy thought in his head that had been spoken aloud; Nene would do whatever he was planning, but that didn't mean Shu would give up on the thing that had kept him alive so many times.

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean you can't be stopped."

"Stopped!"

The song ended in that final, ending note that cut through the air, and Shu couldn't fight anymore. He fell down next to the rest of the children.

"Now that that's been taken care of... Szabo!" The robot arrived in the room seconds after he'd been called. "Help our guest take the children into the room. It's time to prepare." The smirk he'd been wearing widened. He headed towards the door.

"Prepare!"

"Right away, Lord Nene!" Szabo hurried off to where the children were laid out, the flute player close behind him.

This was going to be an annoying task. He'd probably have to try and bring in as many as he could carry, then do a little back-and-forth. Sighing resignedly, he managed to fit three of the smallest ones per arm. As he started floating towards the door, he saw an... interesting sight out of the corner of his robotic eye: The flute player picked up that annoying Shadow User child - which Szabo steadfastly reminded himself that he would kill if the boy survived whatever Lord Nene was planning - but as she picked him up, on her almost entirely covered face, he could see a tear roll down her cheek.

* * *

"Maro sees it!" Marumaro pointed over the mechat rail.

It didn't look much different. It was higher off the ground, but it was still a chrome sphere.

Kluke gripped the railing tightly. The last time she'd been in there, she'd had the collar around her neck. She hadn't known what it did then, and had been terrified that it would explode, taking her and everyone she cared about with it. She hadn't even thought about the fact that if it exploded, it would take Nene with it. And how would he rule the world like he wanted if he was dead? She could've kicked herself; there was no explosion, but she had put everyone in enough danger that they were almost killed anyway.

"How are we going to get inside?" Marumaro's voice interrupted her musings.

"I have a couple of ideas," Jiro sounded calm, but if you knew him, you could tell he was stressed out. "I doubt he would let us in, but I might be able to force open the entrance that we used before."

"That sounds hard. Are you sure you can do it?"

"If anyone can do it, it's Jiro." Kluke's voice left no room for doubt.

"I think I can figure it out." he said sheepishly, a little embarrassed that she had spoken so boldly. But through the flustered feeling, it gave him enough confidence to keep going; if Kluke believed in him, then he wouldn't fail.

* * *

Everything was happening just the way it was supposed to. He would admit, when he arrived in the room, it looked almost exactly the same because of the way the children were, though they were laid so they weren't collapsing on top of each other like before. And, of course, there was his special project against the wall of the room.

Nene smiled up at his creation, his beautiful machine. Yes, everything was happening just the way it was supposed to.

"Lord Nene!"

Well, almost everything. "What is it, Szabo?"

"Szabo!"

"There are intruders approaching!" If he had lungs, one might think he was out of breath. "How would you like to proceed?"

Nene smirked, turning back. "I already know. Let them come. No matter how fast they are, they're already too late."

* * *

None of them were ready for it when it happened. They had been progressing as normal... and then the sphere... well, the only thing you could really call it was dragging. The only thing that was wrong was that you couldn't see anything pulling the ship.

If it wasn't for quick reflexes on Marumaro's part, Kluke probably would have fallen out of the ship when the tugging started. As it was, she had hung by her ankles, which was where he grabbed her, for a good while. Too long of a while in her opinion.

Jiro hadn't really fared much better. Actually, he'd been okay while they were being pulled. Until they hit the sphere - the pull of gravity sent his head straight into the controls. He almost blacked out, but it was out of sheer willpower caused by concern for Kluke and Shu that kept him awake.

When he'd snapped out of it slightly, he called over his shoulder, "Are you guys okay?"

"I... I think so." Kluke had finally been pulled up, and was mostly fine. She just wished everything would stop _spinning_.

"Maro's shoulder doesn't feel right." He tried moving it, but immediately winced. No, it didn't feel right at all.

"Hang on, I'll take a look at it." Kluke knelt down next to him, inspecting the injury.

It was at that point that Jiro realized the mechat engine wasn't running. At first, he panicked, thinking the whole ship was going to come crashing to the ground. But after a minute had passed and nothing happened, he looked over the side and at the stunning sight.

Well, it was stunning to him, anyway - the mechat was stuck to the sphere, like a magnet on metal.

"No way..." he looked it up and down, touching it to make sure it was real. "How is this possible?..."

"Oh, so you believe in science again?" Kluke commented a little sourly.

"... You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope," her reply was cheerful, and then she was turning back to Marumaro, all tenderness and concern as she said, "This should hold you for a little while."

He frowned, trying to move his arm. "But Maro can't move Maro's arm when it's wrapped like this."

" 'I' and 'my'."

"Jiro, would you _please_ stop doing that?" Kluke scolded him, before saying to Marumaro, "It's supposed to be like that. You're not supposed to move it."

"Why?" he tilted his head.

"Because it heals better if you don't."

"Listen to Kluke, Marumaro," Jiro said as he undid the seatbelt and stood. "She knows everything about injuries."

"Just like Jiro knows machines and Shu knows how to be annoying." she stood as well, smiling broadly.

"You mean he knows gymnastics." Jiro was a little flushed, but this was mostly from Kluke mentioning him.

"Right," she looked up at the thing, arms akimbo. "So, how do we get into this tin marble?"

Jiro was about to reply, but before he'd had the chance to say anything, a hole opened just above where the mechat was stuck.

"So much for a sneak attack." Marumaro said flatly

"Another invitation." Kluke glared at the entrance sharply.

"But why?" Jiro rubbed his chin, racking his brain. "What does he want us for this time?"

"To steal our Shadows, obviously," she took a few steps forward. "He probably has a few 'tests' he'd like to run."

Jiro dropped his hand. "We can't just go into a trap."

"We're going to have to," Kluke sounded like she was going to be unmovable on this. "In case you've forgotten, Shu is in there somewhere."

"Of course I haven't forgotten. But..."

"We're stronger than we were last time!" Marumaro raised a finger. "We can stop Nene!"

Jiro looked at both of them. Kluke and Marumaro... they were both so determined, leaving no room for doubt. And why _was_ he doubting? Why wasn't he like them? Why did he have to worry all the time, to... _consider_ everything?

Well, enough was enough; he wasn't going to let Shu die because he couldn't make a decision. "Alright. Let's go find Shu."

**Okay, chapter seven done! Again, I'm sorry that it took so long. Well... There's nothing else to really mention, so it's just the normal stuff: I'll try to update after 10 hits, please leave a review if you get the chance, and I'll see you soon. :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 finally up! I'm so sorry this wasn't up sooner, guys! I had an incredibly awful writer's block, so that delayed this chapter. And, for that very reason, the chapter is also shorter. Very, very sorry! But I think that **_**quality**_** of this chapter is pretty good, so I won't worry about it. :) That's still for you to decide, though. For now, let's get to the review replies.**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Yeah; hopefully they'll get him out soon. Oh, Zola? About that... I'd like to thank you for reminding me about her; because you mentioned her, I decided to give her another cameo. I don't know if she'll officially rejoin the group next chapter, but she will soon. :)

**ultimashadow:** I know; I loved writing that. XD It won't be as big as some of the other running gags I have planned, but it will be making plenty of appearances. ;) Poor Jiro; hate to do that to him. But it's so funny, I can't help it. Oh, definitely; not right away, but pretty soon. Thanks; it'll be quite a while before I do, but I've already got the scene planned where I'll use the "parrot". It should be pretty funny. For a second, anyway. Thanks; I hope that this chapter is as good as the other ones.

**WindGoddess Rune:** No, not yet. But it's been ordered online, and should be coming to my home very soon. :D I'll be sure to let you know all about it once I play it. That might actually be a little while, since I want to finish the first Blue Dragon before I play it.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Ah, really? That's weird, since today I found it early... Well, I didn't see the whole thing. I only saw the last eight minutes. And what a last eight minutes they were; things are really starting to heat up in Tenkai. Well... Maybe she is. Probably. I think everyone has several guesses already, but I won't say until it's revealed. It'll spoil the scene where we find out who she is if I said anything. ;) Thanks. :) Ah, I'm glad then; I find that as I write on that I've been employing the suspense factor a lot. Yeah; like I told ultimashadow, that's a gag I'm probably going to employ quite a few times, though it won't be the main gag(s). Thanks. :) I'll reply to your next review when I get Chapter 9 up.

**Replies done... Well, I can't think of anything else I need to mention, so we can just go to the chapter title and story now. :)**

_Chapter 8: Kare no Kangoku (His Prison)_

"This place..." Kluke looked around the halls. "It's kinda like a cross between Nene's Fortress and the Ancient Prison."

"And it's purplish," Marumaro added. "Guess Nene did some decorating while we were gone, huh?"

"Why did he change it from the last time we were here?" Jiro touched the walls.

Kluke kicked at the ground. "He probably knew we were coming, so he did it to throw us off."

"I guess..." Jiro couldn't figure it out, but something wasn't right here. Nene was doing strange, almost erratic things. But everything seemed too calculated for him to just have snapped. So what was going on?

"You better hurry, Jiro!" Marumaro's voice echoed from down the hall. "Kluke's going to leave us behind!"

"Oh, right!" he ran after them, hoping that they weren't heading straight for a trap.

* * *

When Shu woke up, he found that the only ones in the room with him were the children. All of which were crying their heads off.

"Mommy! Daddy!" "I want to go home!" "I don't like it here!"

"Hey!!" He had to yell loudly to be heard over everyone, but after a moment they finally heard him. "You guys have to calm down!"

"The bad man said that we wouldn't need to know why he wanted us," one of them sniffed. "That means we won't be around to need it!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the small group erupted in sobs.

It took a little while - again - but he managed to shush them. "You don't need to worry. Like I told that jerk, my friends are coming to rescue me. And once they find out you're here, they'll get you guys out, too."

"How do you know they're coming?"

"Because... well..." he scratched his head. "It's kinda like an unspoken agreement we have. We always help each other. If things were reversed, I would come and get them. So I know they'll come and get me. Besides, I've known two of them since I was little. Together, with my grandpa, they practically raised me."

"Isn't that sweet," The door leading outside closed; why hadn't he heard it open? "I'm so touched."

"Nothing will ever touch your metal heart, if you even have one!" Shu glared at him. "Get lost, Szabo!"

"You're not really in much of a position to say anything to me," Szabo floated towards them. "I'm guarding you and these other brats."

Shu folded his arms. "Last time I checked, you don't guard someone far away from them."

"For all you know, I was outside the door, you idiot. There's not much point in telling you, but I had some business to attend to."

Shu snorted. "What, you need an oil change or something?"

He thought Szabo would get angry - which had been his goal in the first place, so he could try to get to Szabo's operational panel again - but he laughed. Shu found it to be eerily similar to when Nene laughed at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I might end up slipping and shooting one of those little humans back there. And unlike you, they can't jump like a pesky katydid."

Shu glanced back at them; most of them were too frightened by the thought of being shot to even cry. No, he couldn't get out this time - he'd have to wait.

* * *

Marumaro pointed to the button on the wall. "What's this do?"

"Don't _touch_ anything!" Jiro screamed at him.

"Why?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Because," Jiro started through gritted teeth. "We didn't know what the buttons in Nene's _other_ hideouts did, so why would we know what the ones in _this_ one do?"

Marumaro smiled. "That's why you have to push 'em - so we can see what they do!"

Jiro stood akimbo. "And what if one of those buttons are a trap?"

"Uh..."

"Exactly," he looked around. "Which is why we should stop fooling around and try to find-"

"Hey, guys, I found something!"

"-Kluke." he finished flatly.

"Come on, Jiro," Marumaro started running again. "If you stand there like before, we'll get left behind again!"

"Oh, right, because I'm just standing here for my health!" Jiro snapped at him. But he was already gone. Sighing to himself, he started following them. "When I catch Marumaro, I'm going to-" Jiro cut off as he saw the large room they'd discovered. "Oh, good, you found it!"

* * *

She looked towards the horizon, her long hair whipping behind her. "How much farther do we have to go?"

"I'm not entirely sure. A mile, maybe two. Our radars aren't exact, so it's difficult to tell. I'm sorry, Lady Zola." he bowed apologetically.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. As long as we know that we need to go this way, then we should run into it eventually."

"We'll try to increase our speed to make up for it."

"Very good. Get on it as soon as possible."

"Roger." he saluted her, then went to talk with the soldiers driving their craft.

Zola sighed; an air balloon was no where near as fast as a mechat, but the kids still had the one she would've used, so there was no other way. She just hoped that it was fast enough.

* * *

Shu was sure that once this was over, the children's nerves would be far gone.

Szabo had his nerve; most of the time, he just floated in front of the door, which was supposed his way of guarding them. But every once in a while, he would swing his arm towards the kids with his unsheathed gun. He'd done this just a few moments ago. Out of fear, a little girl had climbed onto Shu's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to let go.

When the robot had stopped his playing, she'd whimpered, saying, "I miss my mom and dad..."

"Shh... It's okay. We'll be out of here soon." he tried to rub her back comfortingly. The whole thing reminded Shu of when Jiro or Kluke would comfort him when he was a child, when he'd wake up during the night from his Land Shark nightmares. That was the thing about the Land Shark; even though there were likely worse sights in life, once you saw the Land Shark kill someone, you never forgot it. Especially not if they were your own parents.

Szabo laughed. "You'd become so quiet, I thought you couldn't talk anymore. I'm so disappointed."

"Well, maybe we'd all be a little better off if _you_ couldn't talk anymore!" Shu snapped at him, holding the girl closer.

The doors behind Szabo slid open. The robot moved out of the way, letting Nene and the person in the white cloak walk in.

The children scrambled again, though less than before; they knew this time that it wouldn't help them.

Nene gestured in the direction of the machine. "Szabo, prepare everything like we discussed earlier - it's time."

"Time!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 at last! This would've been up sooner, but I started to get into writing it, and it seemed like it was doing well, so... Yeah. Also, the dreaded King Poo in the game was **_**finally**_** defeated, so that put me into a serious Blue Dragon mood. Oh, and for those who hadn't read my author's note in chapter two of **_**The Final Warrior of Light**_**... I GOT BLUE DRAGON PLUS!!! :D Of course, I won't play the thing until I see the end of the first one, but... I got it! :D Anyway, I'll get to the review replies now.**

**ultimashadow:** Oh, yes; things may get a little dire. Will they make it...? Read on and see. ;) Ah, Linda. :) She's the girl that Noi got a crush on when the Shu-tachi visited her village. And, if the episode title is anything to go by, she's his first love.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Thanks. I know; I get it all the time. Well... If you really want to. I've never read them, so I'll leave it to you. Yes... In your own words: EEK! And my own words to follow it: I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT IT!!! :D Really? You've got to give it a try sometime in the future if you get a chance; I know you'll like it :) Oh, did you want me to tell you about Blue Dragon or Blue Dragon Plus? Thank you; there should be more to come in this chapter. Isn't she great? :) Ah, well... Like I mentioned last chapter, I got stuck, so I thought I might as well throw in a cliffhanger. Here's chapter 9 - hope you like it. :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Cool! :D Oh boy, I can't wait to find out what it is! We'll probably find out about that this chapter; read and enjoy. ;)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Ah, Marumaro was probably exaggerating about the "decorating". But we'll see. ;)

**There are the replies. I can't think of too much else I need to mention... Oh. I remember now. A quick warning: Hold onto your hats, folks! This is going to be a long chapter! With that, after the chapter title, let's get on with the story! ;D**

_Chapter 9: Kainyuu (Intervention)_

"Is this the database?" Kluke was looking up so high that it was hurting her neck.

The room was large, its shape a cross between an egg and a pear. The room was filled to the brim with Ancient technology; strewn about tables were Ancient consoles, like the one in the antique shop, though some were smaller or bigger than that one. And there were some Ancient machines that neither Kluke nor Marumaro recognized. Jiro might, but even these looked complicated, so him knowing them was a stretch.

"It should be," Jiro said as he sat down in a chair in front of the screen. "I don't know what else he'd use these for."

"Hey, Jiro, what does-"

"Marumaro, if you touch _anything_..." Jiro let his sentence hang threateningly.

Kluke intervened. "So what's the next step, Jiro?"

"Well, that-" Jiro cut off.

"What happened?" Kluke approached the console he sat in front of.

He looked at the screen with a lidded-eye glare. "That would be breaking Nene's password."

* * *

While the other children grabbed for Shu, eager for the comfort that he had given the little girl he was holding, Szabo floated towards Nene's machine. The robot looked towards Nene. "Proceed?"

Nene and Deathroy nodded, saying nothing. And, somehow, that seemed more terrifying than if he'd said to kill them.

Szabo threw a lever. The children screamed.

Shu, who had closed his eyes and waited for the worst, opened them as virtually nothing happened. He looked towards the machine; it was humming quietly, and a few lights were on. But there were no electric shocks, no explosions, no collars coming to life and sucking out everyone's Shadows.

"Very good, Szabo. Thank you."

"Very good!"

Shu was so angry, he almost stood when he shot forward. "What did you do, Nene?!" Had it all been a joke? Some trick that he had invented? Had he just tried to scare them so he could hear their screams?

Nene ignored him, turning to the cloaked figure. "My dear, if you please."

The flute started playing, and Shu felt stupid; holding the little girl, he had no defense against it. He supposed that covering his ears hadn't helped before, but still...

That was when he felt confusion. There was dizziness, but it was minimal - nowhere near as bad as before. And none of them were falling asleep.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Jiro was about five seconds from breaking the screen. "We came so close, only to get stuck because of a few stupid keyboard characters!"

"Jiro," Kluke put her hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. You'll think of something."

He sighed, lacing his fingers together and leaning his head on his hands. "I should've thought of this. Nene wouldn't leave his most important data unguarded."

"Is there anyway to figure out what it is?" She felt bad. But knew that if Jiro couldn't figure this out, even if she had studied machines, there would be no way past this.

He ran his hand through his hair. "If only we had someone or something that knew the password..."

"Maro knows what to do!" Before anyone could stop him, he'd run outside of the room.

A few seconds later, Jiro and Kluke heard the sounds of Saber Tiger being summoned, and then his claws ripping through a machine. Another second or so, and Marumaro re-entered the room, dragging a broken Mecha Robo behind him. With a bit of effort, he tossed the robot onto the table, no longer ignorant of Jiro and Kluke's stunned looks as he turned to face them, saying, "Will that work?" he grinned widely, a canine tooth poking out.

But it took him completely off guard when Jiro crushed him in a hug. "Marumaro, you're a genius!"

* * *

Shu and the rest of the kids didn't realize what was happening until it was too late - this new song didn't put you to sleep, but did something far worse.

It took a moment for it to really hit; it affected the youngest children first.

Before he went under himself, he saw what it had done to them - he saw that it was controlling them.

* * *

After he had hooked up the robot to the computer by its head and operational panel, and put in few commands, Jiro proclaimed, "We're in!"

"What did getting the Robo do?" Kluke asked, examining one of the wires she held in her hand.

"Actually, we got lucky," he didn't look up from the screen as he talked. "I had thought he wouldn't do this, but I was wrong - he put the password in all of the Robo units incase of emergency, so they could come in here and launch a self-destruct program."

"How did you know about it in the first place, let alone think that he wouldn't use it?" After she'd finished talking, Kluke rolled her eyes when she saw Marumaro start swinging on the wires hanging from the ceiling.

Jiro ignored him. "I read about it. Many of the Ancients used to do things like that. I just thought that Nene wouldn't try stuff like that anymore. Then again, the ones who he would've used those techniques on are long gone."

"Where did you find out _that_? You read me and Shu every book in Talta Village. Oh yes, I remember." she added the part at the end when he looked at her sheepishly.

He shook off the embarrassment, smiling as he turned back to the computer. "The Jibral library. They've got a lot of stuff there, you know. In fact-" he stopped, his smile dropping like a stone in water, quickly being replaced by a look of terror.

"Jiro?" She waited a minute, but he didn't respond. She shook his arm, asking urgently, "Jiro, what is it? What happened?"

His voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "Oh, God..." He stood suddenly, quick enough to knock the chair over, starting to sprint towards the door. "We don't have much time!"

* * *

Nene stood in front of the children, smirking as he saw how all of them were under the song's spell. He cleared his throat; he would probably be able to get through this quickly, as he'd already had Deathroy promise that he wouldn't mimic during this.

"My dear children... You have been through much suffering. Almost all of you have lost someone important to you. All of you feel unwanted. All of you feel unloved. I know this. And I understand. I'm not like the rest of _them_, who tell you they understand. I have had all of these things happen to me, and I truly understand you. I am not like _them_. While their love may be false, mine is true. I would rather harm myself than harm you, for to me, there is little difference. Would you do the same for me?"

"Yes." Each of their voices echoed throughout the room, like a chorus. Nene's smirk widened as he saw tears running down the face of the boy that had received part of his soul, saw how his words had rung true. The satisfaction of seeing how hurt the Dragon-wielder was made all of this more worth it than it already was.

"Then join me!!" he spread out his arms. "Together, they will hurt us no longer! We will protect one another!"

"Yes!" the children started moving towards him. "What must we do?"

"Give me your power," he brought one of his hands in front of him, clenching it into a fist. "Make me more powerful. With your strength, none of them will harm us ever again."

The children reached for him, wanting the comfort of his words, wanting the comfort of the song.

Deathroy cackled under his breath, making sure to keep his voice too quiet for anyone except Nene to hear. "A willing sacrifice..."

"Indeed," Nene matched his friend's quiet tone, then turned his attention back to the crowd in front of him. "Do you believe in me, my children?"

"We do!!"

But Nene didn't see the flaw in his plan until it occurred - the flute player's heart.

She choked on her tears, her tears caused by the song and what it was doing. The song stopped.

* * *

Shu came to first, disoriented but awake. He was met with the sight of an outraged Nene and a sobbing flute player. "What the heck...?"

"Szabo!" Nene bellowed, snapping his head towards the robot and the machine. "Turn it on now!!"

"Y-yes, Lord Nene!" Szabo was a little stunned, but he quickly pushed one of the buttons on the console.

The children screamed as they were shocked by the collars.

* * *

"Shu!" Jiro yelled, almost instinctively, as he heard the kids' cries of pain.

No. No, no, no. He wasn't too late. He _couldn't_ be too late. He wasn't supposed to let him get hurt again.

"Which way do we go?!" Marumaro was trying to keep up with Jiro and Kluke, but his legs were so much shorter than theirs... He was proud of being a Devee, but this was one of the things that bugged him about it. The height.

"Follow the sound, obviously!" Kluke was barely aware of what she had said to Marumaro; she was focusing all of her energy on running. All she knew was that she had to run faster.

Jiro slid to halt in front of one of the doors where the screaming seemed louder. "It's this one!"

They opened the door just in time to see the horrible thing that was taking place.

* * *

Shu didn't know how much more he could take. It was worse than what the previous collars had done, and he felt stupid for thinking they were the same. This feeling... It felt like his soul was being torn out of his body. He couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

He knew that the children had been taken before him, but he couldn't help but feel like he was responsible. If only he'd tried harder to protect them...

"You stupid girl!!" Shu managed to lift his head as he heard Nene snarl at the flute player, grabbing her arm roughly. "You ruined everything!!"

"Everything!!"

"Shu!" he looked over when he heard his name called.

"Jiro, stay back!" He felt weak, like his life was slipping away. But he wouldn't let Nene get his friends. "Please... He'll get you too..." he tried to stay awake, but he felt his eyes sliding closed.

* * *

"Shu!" Jiro tried to get to him, but Kluke stopped him.

"Don't!" she held him back. "There are children with him; he wouldn't stop us from saving them unless he had a good reason!"

"But-"

* * *

Even though he couldn't hold his head up, Shu still managed to get it to fall on his arm. At least that way he'd be able to see what was happening. Until he lost consciousness, anyway.

"I can't do this!" he saw the flute player snatch her arm away from Nene, her voice clearly female. It sounded familiar, but it was hard to make out much other than words with the children screaming, and he was so tired...

"Play the song!" Nene shouted at her.

"The song!"

"I won't do this anymore until you give me what you promised me!" In a fit of anger, she threw back her hood.

Shu gasped as long black hair tumbled out, all the way to where he guessed the small of her back would be, pretty violet eyes filled with hate as she gazed at the Ancient. "Bouquet..." Her name was a tiny, disbelieving whisper on his lips.

"I played the song like you wanted me to! Now give me back my family!" she shouted at him.

"You stopped playing it at a key time! A time where there was no room for failure! I'm not giving you anything!"

"Anything!"

"You promised me!" she sobbed. "These children will likely die because of what you made me do! I want to see my parents and my siblings _now_!"

"Really?" he spat out. "Would you really like to see their dead bodies?"

"Bodies?!"

"Wh-what...?" her anger was still strong, but her own strength and will to fight faded like a flame.

He smiled cruelly. He would get something out of this blunder after all. "Shall I tell you how your kind mother died? Perhaps your loving father? Maybe your sweet little sister? The brother you would fight with, but truly loved? Your caring big sister? Shall I tell you how they screamed for you?"

"For you?!"

"_Stop it_!!!" Bouquet dropped the flute to the ground, falling to her knees, her hands clamped over her ears. By playing this song, she had practically murdered these children, including her dear friend Shu. And it had been for _nothing_. He had lied to her.

* * *

Kluke's rage welled inside of her like a bubble, growing larger and larger until she let it out. "Nene!!!" Phoenix's cry pierced the air, fire flowing around her and the Shadow.

The girl had hurt Shu. The girl had hurt the children. But Nene had hurt the girl, just like he'd hurt everyone else. And the way he had hurt this girl was so close to home, Kluke would not allow it to continue.

"Kluke, wait!" Jiro tried to stop her, grabbing her shoulder.

"What about not doing anything?!" Marumaro added.

Kluke shrugged off Jiro's hand. "Nene's gone too far this time. I won't stop until I take him down, even if it kills me."

"Kluke, you don't even _know_ this girl!" Jiro pleaded.

"Don't you get it?!" she turned a harsh glare on him. "She represents all of us! Everyone who's suffered by his hand, and everyone who will suffer! We can't let Nene do anymore of these horrible things!" she looked forward. "I won't let him." Before Jiro or Marumaro could stop her again, she started running towards Nene.

She skidded to a halt to the side of where Shu and the other fallen children were. For a moment, she was tempted to try and see if they were okay. But she knew from what Jiro had said during their run over here that if she got too close, her magic would surely be drained. And for what she had to do, she needed to be at full power.

Using the hand and body movements she knew by heart, she yelled, "Flarus!" Phoenix cried out. But nothing happened. Kluke looked up at her Shadow, completely confused. "What...?"

"Shoot!" Jiro rushed to the wall, kicking and hitting it. "I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner..."

"What is it, Jiro?" Marumaro ran to his side.

"The wall is made of a special magic-sealing property; putting it all over in the fortress like he did was like casting a giant Silence spell on the whole area. Also, that material is what gave it its purplish color. When I first read about this, the information had been in the Ancients' language, and I hadn't been sure if the translation was purple or red," he shook his head. "So _stupid_..."

"Why didn't it work on Marumaro?" Kluke shouted from across the room. "He brought that robot to us!"

"How many times does Maro have to tell you?!" Marumaro waved his fists in the air, standing on the tips of his toes. "Maro doesn't use spells!"

"He's got a heck of a Zephyr for someone who doesn't use spells..." Kluke grumbled under her breath.

Marumaro darted in the direction of Kluke. "Maro doesn't need spells to fight! Maro and his Shadow can fight with our fists!"

"It's 'I'!" Jiro ran after them. When he was next to them, he added, "And your last four sentences were in third-person-"

"_Jiro_!!!" Kluke and Marumaro screeched at him.

He shrunk away slightly. "Sorry..."

The girl interrupted them. "Cover your ears!" She said it to Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro in particular; Shu and the children were too far gone for the spell to make any difference to them. Barely waiting until they were done, she picked up the flute and started playing.

It was a different song then the other two; this song was angry, with long and hard notes. A song of vengeance.

Nene smacked her across the face, sending her flying to the ground. The flute clattered on the floor. "You've done enough damage."

"Enough!"

"You're a monster!" Kluke shouted at him. "How can you do this to people?!"

"Why should no one suffer as I have?" he shook his head at her. "You could never understand my suffering."

"Never understand!"

"Maro understands enough!" Marumaro charged him, Saber Tiger's claws swinging.

Nene dodged it easily. "Do you actually think you can defeat me with no spells?"

"Jiro, come on!" Kluke started moving towards the fight.

"Kluke, what are you doing?!" he pointed at Marumaro and Nene. "There's nothing we can do against him!"

"I don't care!" she ignored him and kept going.

Jiro screamed in frustration. "Why does no one listen to what I- ah!" he was abruptly interrupted as he was thrown to the floor. The whole fortress quaked.

Kluke pushed herself up. "What was that?"

A servant Mecha Robo burst through the doors. "Master Nene, there's been a breach- GAH!!" The robot flailed its arms as it was plucked from the ground by Minotaur.

Jiro cleared his voice, and hoped that he sounded intimidating. "You were saying?" This was basically a dice roll; he had little chance of seriously hurting this thing before it hurt him.

"I-I won't t-tell anyone b-but Ma-Master N-Nene!" He was very clearly terrified for his life.

He had Minotaur bring the Robo closer. "Listen, you. I can crush you in a second. I can melt your insides all the way from your command processor to your inner operational panel. Tell me what you were going to say or else." "_Think of what you read in the books, Jiro... Think of what you read in the books, Jiro..._" he repeated it in his mind over and over.

"Okay, okay!" Hearing how frightened he was, Jiro instantly felt bad; it was bad enough the poor thing was being misled, but he'd gone and terrified him... "There are intruders in hot air balloons! They shot their anchors into the Ancient Sphere! Y-you probably felt it when the place shook," he continued when Jiro nodded. "There are many of them, and they've already started coming inside."

Minotaur dropped the robot, ignoring his squeak, as Jiro sighed in relief. "Zola..." He didn't know if he'd ever been so happy to hear about her. He knew for sure that he'd have to keep himself from crushing in her a hug like he did Marumaro earlier. She'd probably think he was nuts.

He snapped out of it when he heard Kluke scream his name, turning around just in time to see Marumaro thrown at him. He blacked out as his head hit the floor.

* * *

Bouquet saw Nene approaching the girl with the Phoenix Shadow. Her face held no fear. Only pure fury.

She looked towards the machine; she didn't know where he was, but Szabo had left it unguarded. "I won't let this go on anymore..." she struggled to her feet. "Hippopotamus!"

Her Shadow came out with a whooping and wispy cry, similar to the now-extinct hippos of old, but with not so much strength as there was in their voices.

Bouquet looked up at her Shadow. "Hippopotamus... I've done a very bad thing, something that is likely unforgivable. But I want to try and do whatever good I can. It won't make up for what I've done, but I want to try and help those who are in danger because of what I did."

Her Shadow, of course, didn't say anything. But she knew that it understood. She nodded to it. "Let's go!"

She ran towards the machine, her faithful Shadow right behind her.

* * *

"No!" Nene reached towards the girl. "Get away from there!"

"Away!"

Kluke blocked his path, arms akimbo. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out of my way!"

"My way!"

"Not a chance. You and I have a score to settle."

Nene laughed at her. "With that weak bird? Do you even know how to attack?"

"Even know how?!"

"Sure I do. And I'll show you!" With a cry from both her and Phoenix, talons clawed at the spot where Nene had been seconds before.

"How is she so strong?..." Nene held his shoulder guard, where the Phoenix had chipped off part of the armor.

"She's _too_ strong!" Deathroy whispered harshly in his ear. "Get away from her quickly! Quickly, quickly!"

"Don't run from me!" Kluke could feel the magic surging through her. She remembered when Jiro had said that the magic seemed to react to their emotions. She felt angry. She felt powerful. She wanted Nene to die. And it scared her.

Both she and Nene spun around when they heard a scream behind them.

It was the girl. Kluke's amazement that she was a Shadow User quickly gave away to concern and panic when she realized what was happening.

Her Shadow had punched a hole in the machine. But in the process of doing that had gotten the fist stuck, and now the girl and the Shadow were trapped, being shocked by electricity.

"Get away from there! It'll kill you!" Kluke started running to her.

"I can't..." Bouquet said through gritted teeth, though half of it was to herself. "I have to finish this..."

"My machine!" Nene cried. All of his work... His work that he'd spent so much time on, that he'd slaved over...

"Forget it!" Deathroy urged. "Escape now!"

Before anyone in the room could do anything else, Nene's machine exploded.

**... Wow, I can't believe I wrote all of that. :O I think that's the longest chapter I've ever written, including things that haven't been published due to needed editing. I hope it turned out okay... I worked pretty hard on it, so I think it did... When I first thought of those scenes, that hadn't exactly been how I wanted it to go. But I think this is better than what I first thought of. Ugh, I just remembered a note I forgot to put. So...**

**Note: Bouquet's voice is higher and younger sounding than in the anime. That goes for both her English and Japanese voice, as I've already thought of both. Also, for her Japanese voice, her "su" are more accented than other people who speak Japanese. Normally, people who speak Japanese say words with "su" so quickly that you don't even hear the "u", or just barely hear it. But the way she talks, you can always hear it, especially if her voice is raised. Of course, this doesn't apply for her English voice, since English doesn't have that in its language.**

**Ah... Sorry for the long note. You've probably realized by now that I ramble. *scratches head sheepishly* Anyway, review if you get the chance. I'll try to update after 10 hits. See you soon! :) **


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 is finally up! Sorry it took me so long; I was finishing up with the latest chapter of **_**The Final Warrior of Light**_**, and my Eternal Sonata story was in desperate need of an update. Anyway, I'll do the replies now.**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Yeah; sorry about that. *scratches head sheepishly* This chapter is more normal-sized. Ah, I probably shouldn't have ended it there, but I didn't know where else to end it. _Is_ everyone okay?... Read on. ;) Oh, and I did get your message. Did I reply to it? I forgot... I think I did...

**ultimashadow:** Ah, who said anyone is dead? ;) This isn't to say if anyone's okay or not, but if I'm going to actually _kill_ someone in a chapter, I'd probably give a warning first. Besides, I don't like killing off characters much, especially not my favorite character; my favorite past time is finding a way to bring characters _back_ to life. ;) You're almost always right; I just like to keep the suspense so it doesn't spoil everything for you and everyone else. :) Thanks; I'll try. Is this chapter as good or better than the last? Well... That's really up to you and the other readers. Still, I hope you enjoy it.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** I'm glad you think so. :) I always feel this need to describe everything I wrote, because I worry about what people will think of it. *insert sweatdrop here* Besides, I like reading other people's ramblings, so... Well, it makes sense to me! XD Yeah, more or less, he was. It just seemed like that was the best place to change the scene. ;) Please, go ahead and use it! In fact, you can use any of my ideas for _Kaleidoscope_ - I'd be honored. *blushes* Yes - I knew that you knew, but I didn't want to spoil it. ;D I was wondering if anyone was going to pick up on that. :) Glad you did, though. I know; I felt bad about writing that. :( It was probably one of the most powerful scenes I ever wrote - that should say everything about my writing ability, though I'm unsure if that means it's good or bad - so I felt the need to plow through any personal discomfort it gave me. (_Jiro: Thanks. I just wish someone else would tell me that._) He didn't do that good of a job with the threatening sound-wise, but he tried, so that counts for something. :D Yeah, that would be funny. XD Hm... I think you've given me an idea. ;) And maybe the anime Zola wouldn't mind as much as the game Zola. Sure, she'd be surprised, but he always acts cold in the anime, so I think she'd be relieved. ;D Wow, be careful! I'm glad you like it, but don't pass out from lack of oxygen! But really, thank you. :) I'm still scrambling to reply to all of your reviews, but they should be up shortly.

**Review replies done! Now, this chapter may seem like it's short and lagging, especially after all of the chaos in chapter ten. I tried to keep things as interesting as possible, but there wasn't much that was **_**supposed**_** to happen in this chapter. Still, like I told ultimashadow, how good it is up to **_**you**_** to decide. After the chapter title, on with the story! :D**

_Chapter 10: Yoha (Aftermath)_

The first thing Jiro noticed when he woke up was that his ears were ringing. There must have been a pretty loud sound while he was knocked out.

He rolled onto his stomach, trying to get his bearings. Great - ringing ears _and_ vertigo.

He used his hands and knees to push himself up. He looked up and tried to assess the situation.

Marumaro was a few feet away from him, sprawled out on the ground and out cold. He seemed to be alright, aside from minor injuries, but he didn't seem like he was getting up anytime soon.

Shu and the other children were still laying on the ground, and if the lack of screaming was anything to go by, they were also unconscious. But the electric energy that had surrounded them was gone. Somehow, the collars had been turned off.

Further down, there was smoke blocking the view of Nene's machine and the area around it. Wasn't that where Nene and Kluke were fighting?...

_Kluke_.

Ignoring the way his body ached as he moved, Jiro hauled himself to his feet. "Kluke! Where are you?!"

A cough, and then, "Jiro! I'm over here!"

He thought that he saw waving, so he entered the smoke and tried to go to the place where he remembered seeing it. It took a little bit of maneuvering, but he managed to find her. He rushed to her side where she lay on the ground. "Are you alright?!"

"I don't know," With some help from Jiro, she managed to stand. "That girl... The one who played the flute. She had a Shadow, and they punched the machine and it..." she trailed off, looking over where the smoke had finally cleared.

The girl's Shadow had unsummoned at some point; she lay motionless in front of the sparking machine. Next to that, was a gaping hole in the wall - in front of that, Szabo was working on a machine that Jiro recognized as a gravitational transit; for Kluke, it just looked kind of like the Ancient device known as a scooter, minus the wheels. Nene stood to the side.

"Nene!!" Kluke charged for him, ignoring Jiro's concerned yells.

* * *

"Lady Zola, which way should we go?" the Jibral Blademaster looked around; there were about five different paths he could see, and that wasn't counting whatever forks were further down.

"We split up. I'll go down that way with Group A," she pointed to the farthest right hall. "The rest of you split up accordingly. Remember - if anyone finds the children or some kind of clue, report to me with the communicators that the scientists gave you. Now, go! Move as fast as you can!"

The soldiers and Blademasters ran down their respective paths. Zola ran just a bit faster than the others; she had a feeling she might be too late, but it didn't slow her down at all. In fact, it seemed to spur her on.

* * *

Shu groaned, sitting up, holding his head. Everything ached.

And then he heard Kluke yell.

He looked up quickly then; near a hole in the wall that Shu didn't remember being there, Kluke was trying to get Phoenix to claw Nene. He was dodging the attacks, but barely.

"It's ready, Lord Nene!" Szabo backed away from the machine.

"Good!" During one of his dodges, Nene landed right on the platform-ish thing. "Evacuate with the rest of the robots. Don't forget to visit the database."

"The database!"

"Of course!" Szabo floated away.

"I won't let you get away again!" Kluke tried to hit him, but he was too fast - the machine whirred to life and pushed off quickly, leaving Phoenix's talons to gash the floor.

"I'm afraid that you don't have any choice in the matter, my dear. It's been fun, but I have more important things to do with play with you and these other children." He started moving away from her, out of the hole.

"Play!"

"No!!" Kluke didn't even see that he was outside; she was blinded by rage. So many lives that may have been lost just a short while ago... And he just thought it was nothing but a game he was playing!

She didn't gauge how much floor was left before the hole.

Nene and Deathroy laughed as her foot touched thin air.

"_Mom... Dad... I know it's probably not what you would've wanted, but I'm sorry I didn't avenge you._"

"Kluke!!" Her second-long free fall was cut short as Shu grabbed her around the waist.

"Shu!" She was thankful that he had caught her, but more than that, she was relieved that he was okay.

"Thank goodness..." Jiro was so overcome with relief of his own, his knees were barely keeping him up. But there was one thing he had to do before he collapsed. Moving quickly, he rushed over to the fallen girl and knelt down next to her.

Even as he felt her pulse, he could see the up and down movement of her chest - she was alive. He caught sight of her right hand; it looked slightly burned. He looked up where, according to Kluke, a hole was punched; he noted to himself that most of the damage to the machine appeared to be internal. The injury must have carried from her Shadow to her. But... He'd never seen such a physical transfer of damage before. There was more to this girl than met the eye.

After Shu had pulled Kluke away from the hole, he saw Jiro. And he saw who he was with. "Bouquet!" he ran towards them as fast as he could, sliding to the ground when he reached them.

Jiro's eyes widened. "You _know_ her?"

"She's my friend," Shu looked up at him, his eyes worried and urgent. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She's alive, for now. Otherwise, I don't know." Jiro shook his head.

"I'll check on her," Kluke rechecked her pulse, not trying to see if she was still living, since Jiro had already confirmed that. She was checking to see if her heart rate was normal. "Shu, you're too worried about this-"

"Of course I am!" he shouted angrily. "I already told you that she's my friend! And she's just a kid, and she could be dying!"

"This is what I mean," Kluke shook her head. "I need to concentrate, and you're all emotional right now. Go see if Marumaro's okay."

"Marumaro?" Shu's concern instantly split to the both of them.

"You know that Kluke knows what she's doing," Jiro spoke for her, since she'd already begun her normal patient protocol in an attempt to block out Shu. "She won't let anything happen to her."

"Alright." Shu nodded, standing.

When he reached him, Marumaro was already sitting up. But he was clutching his arm. Shu placed a hand on his good shoulder. "What happened, Marumaro?"

"That dumb Nene broke Maro's arm again!"

Jiro cupped his hands over his mouth so he would be heard. "Marumaro, it's-"

"Control yourself." Kluke said shortly, not looking up.

Shu smiled at him softly. "Hang on for a while. Kluke will look at it when she's done. Besides that, are you okay?"

Marumaro shrugged. "Maro's fine. But..." he blushed a little. "Maro was kinda worried about you. All of us were. Especially Jiro."

Shu's eyebrows arched. "Jiro?"

Marumaro nodded vigorously. "Yeah."

"Huh... That's weird. I didn't know that-" Shu was interrupted as a siren started going off. He clamped his hands over his ears. "What is that?!"

The children started waking up from the sound. "That sound is horrible!" The little girl that had clung to Shu wailed over the loud noise.

Shu knew he'd probably regret this when they stampeded him, but he yelled over the siren, "Come over here!"

His hunch was right; in seconds, he was almost buried under all of the little kids.

"Hey, be careful!" Marumaro yelled at them. "You'll suffocate him!"

This immediately set the children into a brand new panic - they scrambled off of Shu like he was the plague.

"Way to go, Marumaro." Shu said sarcastically.

Marumaro was about to counter this, but was cut off as the door opened. His irritation was quickly replaced with joy as he saw who it was. "Lady Zola!!" he practically skipped towards her.

"Later!" Despite this, she still willingly let him hug her leg, and not just because she was rushed. "We have to get everyone out of here now! The Robos have launched a self-destruct!"

"So _that's_ what Szabo went to do," Jiro rubbed his chin, looking like he was getting ready to go into what Shu and Kluke had dubbed his "contemplation mode". "I guess that was kind of obvious, since the machine is-"

"Jiro!!" Kluke yelled at him. "Didn't you hear her?! This place is going to explode!"

"Oh, right! Wait," he stilled her hand as she started picking up Bouquet. "I'll carry her. Go and make sure that Marumaro doesn't further injure his arm while he runs."

"Alright." Kluke nodded, hurrying off to the Devee's side as Jiro picked up Bouquet, cradling her head with one arm and hooking his other arm underneath her knees.

As the Jibral soldiers and Blademasters began to collect the children, the girl that Shu had carried earlier reached up towards him. He sighed, relenting immediately, and lifted her up.

"Everyone's here," Zola continued when everyone nodded. "Let's go!"

They ran down the halls, back the way they'd come. When they arrived at the original fork, everyone was already there. They all headed into the air balloons, releasing the anchors and quickly floating away.

Kluke gripped the side of the basket with the hand that she wasn't using to hold Marumaro's, flinching as the metal sphere erupted in a fiery explosion.

"Lady Zola," one of the scientists approached her. "We saw three mechats leave the sphere through another exit before you and the others boarded the balloons. Our radars indicated that they were heading northeast."

"Szabo and the other robots," Jiro shifted the girl in his arms; he was finding that he was more sore than he thought. "They're probably following Nene."

Kluke's jaw was clenched. "I can't believe he got away."

"Don't worry," Marumaro tried to encourage her. "We'll fight him again. And next time, we'll beat him for sure!"

"Um..." the little girl looked up at Shu shyly.

"What's wrong?"

"Can I look around the hot air balloon?"

He smiled. "Sure," he set her down. "Just make sure you come back. And stay where I can see you!"

Shu blushed as Jiro chuckled behind his back. "Seems like you're falling into the big brother role pretty well."

Shu turned around, grinning. "I had a good teacher."

Jiro's smile dropped. "Shu... When you fell out of the mechat, I thought... Well, I knew that you weren't dead," While saying the word had been easier than Jiro had originally thought, it was still hard. "But I thought you might be soon, that you'd been seriously hurt. I..." he looked away. "I was scared."

Shu placed a hand over his chest. "You don't have to worry about me! It'll take more than that to kill me. I already fell off a cliff, remember?"

Jiro flinched so hard that he nearly dropped Bouquet. "Don't... Don't talk about that."

"Jiro?" Shu looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong with you?"

He shook his head. "I-it's nothing... It's just too similar, you know?"

Shu shrugged. "I guess. But-" Shu froze as Bouquet moaned in her sleep, turning her head slightly.

"Bouquet!" he leaned over her, trying to see if she was okay.

"Shu, don't wake her up like that!" Jiro whispered harshly. "She might be having a nightmare!"

"Bouquet, can you hear me?!" Shu ignored him, making Jiro groan. "It's Shu! Your friend, remember?!"

She scrunched her eyes, Jiro's whisper of "Now look at what you did." in the background. She opened her eyes slowly - everything was blurry and shifty. But she managed to make out someone. "Shu..." she whispered his name softly. She reached for him, her eyes closing, drifting into unconsciousness once again as she heard him shout her name.

**Chapter 10 finished! I had actually had a better idea for this chapter, but I forgot it, so I had to alter it slightly. I think it turned out okay, though. Anyway, I can't think of anything else to mention. Review if you can, and I'll try to update after 10 hits. See you soon! :D**


	12. Chapter 11

**I've returned! :D With Chapter 11, of course. ;) On that note, I'm sorry it's been so long. You have NO idea how many times I had to edit this chapter. *refrains from smacking self with a book* I guess I'll do the replies now.**

**ultimashadow:** Thanks. :) Oh, King Poo? You can find him in Disc 3, after defeating the other two Poo bosses. He's in the ruins near Talta Village, in the exact same spot as the previous Poo bosses. In case you go in to fight that him, some words of extreme caution: DO NOT FIGHT THAT HORRIBLE THING WITHOUT PREVIVE. Also, the person who can cast Previve should have Double Cast, and/or more than one person should be able to cast it. That is a... very nasty battle. I don't even want to think about it. Oh, and did you find the other dragons? Thank you; I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but here it is. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Yep - that's the best part about it! :D Wow, really? Thanks! Aw... *blushes* Again, thanks! :D And don't worry - your compliments always put me in the best of moods. I don't even feel sick right now! :D *was not sick when chapter was originally written, but is sick at the time of this reply* Yeah, my ideas were just flowing that night; they would've been updated the same day, but it turned midnight before I could finish. XD I'm a little stuck on _The Final Warrior of Light_, but as you can see, the next chapter of _Blue Dragon Beyond_ was uploaded a short while ago from when I wrote this reply. I thought there were some pretty good Jiro scenes in it, so I think you'll like it. ;D

**Well, those are the replies. I don't know why this chapter took so long... I had pre-written the beginning of this chapter - a lot of which got edited - and it was the second chapter of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** that I had ever worked on. *sigh* Oh, and... uh... well... I might've ended up making this chapter another really long chapter again. *insert nervous chuckling here* It was kind of by accident; originally, it wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this long. I think it's okay, though... I hope it is. Anyway, after the chapter title, we can get on with the story.**

_Chapter 11: Anzen (Safety)_

She woke up with a start. Nightmares again - nightmares of Nene.

She was shocked when she took in her surroundings. She wasn't at home, and she wasn't in Nene's sphere; the place she was in seemed warm and safe. She was in a bed that wasn't that high off the ground, in a rather simple room. She also noticed that there were closed curtains where a door would have been. She fingered the bed's quilt, looking at the careful, homemade patchwork.

She threw the quilt off of herself, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She saw that her shoes had been conveniently placed on the floor next to the bed. After slipping them on, she stood, but almost fell over because of weakness in her legs. She wondered just how long she had been sleeping.

She walked over to the mauve-colored curtains, then opened them slowly.

It opened out into another room. The floor, ceiling and walls were a dark brown wood. The walls had a few paintings hanging on them, and little pots of flowers and bonsai decorated the house. They were lined up on stands, like dolls in a Hina Matsuri.

She started exploring the house. There were two other rooms beside the one she had woken up in, one downstairs and one upstairs.

She had come back downstairs to explore the kitchen again when there was a knock on the front door.

"Kluke, are you there? It's Jiro."

She panicked, unsure of who Kluke and Jiro were, and tried to find something to hide behind. Not finding anything, she ran up to the top stair and waited.

The door opened, and a boy stepped inside. His hair was black (with a lock of hair that fell over his eye), and he wore a green tunic, a black turtleneck, white pants, and brown boots. He also had some of the darkest eyes she'd ever seen. His eyes were a little similar to-

"Looks like Kluke went out..." he mumbled to himself as he closed the door. "I guess I should go check on the girl..." he went into the room that she had woken up in.

Despite being a little afraid of him, she was blushing, though she couldn't really figure out why.

"Oh _no_." she heard him say. He must have found out she was gone. He ran out of the room, and she stood up to hide in the room upstairs, but the floor creaked. The boy's head snapped up, and their eyes locked.

He breathed out in relief. "There you are. I was worried something had happened to you." He took a step toward her, and she took a step back. "Hey, what's wrong? You're not afraid, are you?"

Without saying anything, she ran up the rest of the stairs, ignoring his yell.

Frantic, she looked around the room for something she could use to hide. She decided on the bed, running over to it and crawling underneath.

She held her breath as the door opened. She could see his boots from under the bed.

"Now, if I had no idea where I was and had someone after me, where would I hide?" his tone was thoughtful, but he sounded a bit like he was playing a game. It reminded her a little of Wakana-ane.

She cringed as he stepped closer to the bed. He knelt down and lifted the sheet. "Gotcha!"

She cried out in fear, scooting back against the wall.

"Hey. You don't have to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

His voice was gentle, and she couldn't help but think that he as telling the truth. She scooted closer.

"That's it. It's alright. Why don't you come out here so we can talk? Here, I'll move out of the way so you can get out." he stood and backed up.

She crawled out from underneath. "There, that's better, isn't it?" she looked up to see him smiling at her.

He walked back to the bed and sat, patting the space next to him. A little reluctant, but mostly shy, she sat down next to him.

"Do you remember me at all?" She shook her head. "I'm Shu's friend, one of the ones you told to cover their ears. The one with the Minotaur Shadow."

Her eyes widened as she remembered what had taken place. Nene. How dare he trick her like that...

"My name is Jiro. Your name is Bouquet, right?" She nodded again. "Shu's been telling me all about you."

"I... I'm sorry." her voice was quiet; he barely heard her.

"Why are you sorry?"

She looked at him in disbelief. "I almost killed Shu, and all of those children! And... I didn't wait after I had warned all of you... I could've killed the rest of you, too."

"But you did it for your family. If Nene hadn't been holding their lives over your head, you never would have done any of that. Right?"

"Of course... Shu is one of my only friends, so I wouldn't have hurt one of his. Besides, I don't like hurting people."

"I know. So there's no reason for you to be sorry."

A short pause. "Um... If you don't mind me asking, where are we?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I completely forgot. We're in Talta Village, and this is Kluke's house. Kluke is the girl that was with us. She's also the village doctor here, so we thought it was best that you stay with her until you recover."

"She seems young for a doctor."

"She is, but she does it anyway. Her parents were doctors, so she took their place when they passed away." There was a certain warmth in his voice as he talked about this girl, the kind of warmth that's used when someone cares deeply about another.

Her eyes widened a little. "Her parents passed away?"

Jiro nodded. "Yes. Two years ago. Nene has been tormenting our village with a special kind of mechat that we call the Land Shark."

"That's horrible..."

Jiro shook his head. "Don't worry about it right now. We can talk more about that later. For now, I should probably go look for Kluke..." he glanced at Bouquet. "... But I feel bad about leaving you in an empty house."

She shook her head. "That's okay. I'm used to being in a place by myself for a long time."

Jiro stood akimbo. "Just because you've been living alone for a long time doesn't mean that you have to now. Come on - you can stay at my house while I go look for Kluke."

* * *

Kluke stared at him incredulously. "... You really have a short-term mind, don't you?"

Shu looked up from his work. "Look, _I_ was the one that was worried about Bouquet. You were the one that said that I couldn't stay with her because I was 'distracting you from your protocol'." his tone during the last part was venomous enough to make Kluke wince.

"I can't help it if you're a nervous wreck. That aside, you seem to be putting all of that behind you right now."

Shu sighed. "I can't just sit around and worry about her all the time. I'll go out of my mind." "_And become a chronic worrier like Jiro._" he added in his mind.

Marumaro came into the conversation as he said, "What are you making, anyway?" he poked at the bird-egg blue metal.

Shu grinned broadly. "A special project."

Kluke sighed, exasperated, putting a hand to her forehead. "You and Jiro and your dumb machines."

He laughed good-naturedly. "Come on, Kluke! You'd like it if you tried it."

She glared at him. "And like I said to you the last time you said that: Not even in an alternate reality."

"What's it for?" Marumaro continued.

"It's a surprise," Shu started connecting a few of the metal pieces. "But I _will_ say that it's going to be a big help to us."

"More like a big pain," Kluke countered. "It's going to end up being some heavy thing that you make us drag with us through the desert or whatever terrain we're walking through. And since I will likely end up doing a big part of the dragging, I would like to know what exactly it is."

"I'm not saying anything about it. It'll ruin the surprise."

Kluke cried out in frustration.

* * *

"I'm back!" Jiro slid his boots on the front mat, trying to get off as much of the sand as possible before entering the house.

Bouquet watched him, and then did the same. She kept her arms folded in front of her, eyes darting around nervously, like when she'd first met Shu.

"Welcome back, Jiro! Did you find- oh?" his mother stopped mid-sentence, holding herself up by the doorway on the side of the hall. "Who's this?"

"Her name's Bouquet." Jiro smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you." Bouquet curtseyed slightly.

Jiro's mother giggled. "Such a cute little friend! You better be careful, Jiro - Kluke's going to get jealous!"

"Mother!" Jiro practically wailed, more than a little mortified. "She's younger than Shu!"

"Oh, really?" she arched her eyebrows. "She's taller than him."

Jiro looked at her with lidded eyes. "Just about everyone is taller than Shu."

"Hmm... I suppose that's true..."

He shook his head. "All of this is besides the point. I need you and Father to watch Bouquet for me. I need to find Kluke so I can tell her that she woke up."

His mother rushed to Bouquet's side. "Oh my, you must be the unconscious girl that they brought into the village. How are you feeling, dear?" she touched Bouquet forehead.

"I-I'm fine." Bouquet's voice was trembling. The way that Jiro's mother was doting on her... It was bringing up painful reminders of her own mother.

"Mother, maybe you shouldn't do that," Jiro cut in. "She's been through a lot."

"Oh, of course," she straightened. "I'm sorry."

Bouquet shook her head. "It's fine."

Jiro tapped her shoulder so she would look over at him. "Are you okay with staying here? I thought it was better for you to stay here instead of coming with me, since you're probably tired, but if you really want to come..."

"No, I don't mind," she smiled at Jiro's mother for a moment before turning back towards him. "But, would it be okay if I looked around the house a bit?"

He shrugged. "Sure. You should probably ask my parents before you go into their room, but otherwise, it's fine. And I have a bunch of books in my room, if you like to read."

"Okay." Bouquet glanced at the stairway.

Jiro scratched his head. "I won't be gone a long time. Just try not to move around _too_ much, okay? I don't know nearly as much as Kluke when it comes to medical related things, but I know enough to know that you shouldn't do anything really strenuous for a few days."

"Alright," she took a step down the hallway. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Jiro opened the door. "See you in a little while!" he started to close it. "Oh!" He opened the door partially before he had completely shut it, just enough to stick his head out. "If my mother starts with the cute thing again, just lock yourself in my room." With that, he shut the door.

Jiro's mother sighed and walked back into the room she'd come from, mumbling something that Bouquet was unable to make out.

She looked towards the stairs again. He'd mentioned books, hadn't he...?

* * *

Kluke hopped off of the workbench she'd been sitting on. "Come on, Marumaro - if I stay in here any longer, _I'm_ going to go out of my mind. Besides, it smells like metal in here."

"One of the best smells in the world." Shu looked up for a second to smile at her, before going back to whatever it was he was doing.

"Only to you," she shook her head, then turned to Marumaro. "I'd like you to come with me, but if you aren't going to, I'm going to have to leave without you. I need to get back and check on Bouquet."

Kluke and Marumaro were looking at each other, so neither of them noticed Shu's momentary yet hard flinch.

Marumaro shrugged. "Maro doesn't understand why you want to leave so bad. Maro thinks it's cool in here!"

"Is this a boy thing or something?" It was easy to hear the pent up frustration in Kluke's voice - she'd been dealing with this for years now.

She blamed both Jiro and Fushira for Shu's sort-of-obsession with anything metal; when he was little, he could either be found sitting on the dusty floor of the workshop as he watched his grandfather's metalworking, or in Jiro's room being fed endless information on computers. It was noteworthy that just about all of the raw technological stuff had gone straight over Shu's head, but he'd retained quite a bit about anything that had to do with robots.

"It is cool in here," Shu unwittingly interrupted her musings. "I don't know why, but Kluke thinks otherwise."

"I'm not going over this with you again," she walked across the room. "I'm going now." Kluke opened the door-

-and barely dodged Jiro's hand as it tried to knock on the now-absent door. He tripped a bit, but Kluke caught him. "Jiro! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he blushed a little. "Thanks for catching me."

Shu's hands stilled for a moment. He was getting that twisting feeling in his chest again, the one he got when Jiro would talk about Kluke. He tried to go back to work, tried to push it away, but it continued to persist.

"Hey, Shu, what are you up to?" The feeling did fade a little when Jiro focused on him instead of Kluke. He started coming towards him. "You never told me that you were working on a new project..." Jiro sounded a little dejected.

"Sorry," Shu looked at him apologetically. "It's supposed to be a surprise, though."

"Oh, really?" Jiro looked over the half-connected components on the table, already brightening - Shu did almost all of his projects like this with Jiro, so if he was hiding it from him, there must be something interesting about it.

"That's what he keeps saying." Kluke resisted the urge to throw one of the various tools lying around at either of their heads.

Shu stopped again, seemingly considering something. "I do feel bad about not telling you, though... So maybe I can show you something..." he ducked underneath the workbench. While he was under it, he commented, "This is probably the best thing about it, so I think it'll make up for it a little."

Jiro's eyes widened as Shu pulled the object out. "Shu, is that a...?"

Shu nodded. "Yep. The engine is half eternal, half gravitational."

A slow smile spread across Jiro's face. "A dual engine. Shu, that's brilliant. Where'd you find out about how to do that?"

He shrugged. "One of your science books. You were asleep, so-"

"Ugh, that's what I forgot!" Jiro stood quickly. "Kluke, I need to talk to you."

Shu sighed and rolled his eyes, then ducked back under the workbench to reattach the engine.

"What's wrong, Jiro?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but Bouquet woke up!"

"What- _ow_!" Shu had started moving to get up, and promptly slammed his head into the table.

"Really?" Kluke smiled, her annoyance at Shu and Jiro from the mechanical gibberish instantly vanishing.

While rubbing the injured spot, Shu scrambled away from the workbench and stood, rushing to Jiro's side. Where he commenced with peppering Jiro with questions. "Is she okay? Where is she? How long has she been awake?"

"Hey, wait, slow down!" Jiro held his hands in front of him. "Relax, alright? She's fine and she's at my house. She hasn't been awake that long."

"What are we waiting for, then?!" Without another word, Shu grabbed Jiro and Kluke by the hands and rushed out of the workshop.

"Wait for Maro!" Marumaro hurried after them before he was left behind. As he ran, he mumbled under his breath, "Maro didn't even get to do the Devee Dance of Joy..."

* * *

Bouquet was standing in the middle of the room, looking around in slight awe. So many books, and so many different kinds... The only place she'd seen that had close to this many was a library. Well, that and-

"_No,_" she shook her head hard. "_Don't think about that._"

She looked around a bit, noticing a few books that she recognized, the things that she knew mostly things like creature compendiums. She noticed several stacks on the floor, and one on top caught her eye - a book on plants. She brushed her fingers over the book, her eyes stinging from the memories it brought.

Unfortunately, Bouquet found this to be true about almost all of the things in his room. While the telescope had been a close second, the hardest thing of all to look at had been the globe. It was as if someone had looked at all of her family's interests and hobbies, and then dropped them into one room.

She brushed her fingertips over the globe, unable to keep one memory from invading her mind...

"Bouquet?"

She quickly wiped her tears away with her fingers before whirling around. It was him... Jiro.

"Are you okay?" he crossed the room until he was next to her. "You seem like you're upset." It was obvious to him that she _was_ upset, but he had a strong feeling that it was better not to say it so bluntly.

"I'm fine. Can I ask you something, though?"

"Sure."

"Where... Where did you get this?"

"Oh, this?" he seemed a little surprised at first, but then he got this look in his eyes as he reached out a hand to touch it... It was a look she knew well, but hadn't seen in a long time. "It's an old antique that I found with Shu in the ruins near the village. It's so old that the earth doesn't even look like this anymore. It's kind of funny, actually - this old thing's probably one of my favorite things. Shu thinks it's weird that I like it, but... " he turned his head toward her again. "In the case of this globe, I think it's important to remember how things used to be."

She looked at him in complete shock, the memory from before playing in her mind against her will.

* * *

"_But, I don't understand," a young Bouquet furrowed her eyebrows at the globe. "This doesn't look like any of the maps that I've seen."_

"_That's because this globe is an antique," her father touched it, appreciation shining in his eyes. "This is the earth how it once used to be."_

"_Is that why there are so many continents on it?"_

_He nodded. "Yes."_

_She perked up suddenly. "Daddy, I want to dig out more antiques, just like this globe!"_

_Her father leaned down to her level, humor written across his face. "Oh, really?"_

"_Yeah!" she nodded her head vigorously. " 'Cause if no one sees these antiques, everyone will forget how the world used to be! And something like that is too important to forget!"_

_He chuckled. "I know. That's part of why I started traveling around with your mother like we are."_

* * *

As she came out of, she realized that he had mistaken her silence. "I know it's kind of silly to say that..." he scratched the back of his head, suddenly nervous.

"No, it isn't," she said quickly. "And... I think you're right."

"Really?" his face lit up as a small smile appeared. "I think that's the first time anyone's agreed with me about this, not even my parents. But I love antiques, history... stuff like that." he chuckled then. "Coincidentally, one time Shu and I were down in the ruins, and I found this wall covered in text written in one of the Ancient languages. It took him three hours to drag me away from translating it."

She giggled herself. "I guess you and Shu have known each other a long time."

"Yeah. Oh, that reminds me... We should really get downstairs. Kluke wants to see how you're doing, and Shu is probably going to a pace a hole in my living room. Let me just grab something real quick..."

As he leaned over to grab a paper off his desk, something unexpected happened. For a moment, everything flashed back to one of the tents her family had used to camp out, and in the same way and place Jiro was standing was her father.

He looked towards her, and the image vanished. "Bouquet, did you hear that?"

"H-hear what?"

"I'm not really sure," he looked around a little. "I thought I heard someone saying your name."

"No, I didn't hear anything like that." Despite saying this, her voice was a hoarse whisper. She had used her Shadow after not using it in so long... Was it happening again?

"I must be hearing things, I guess," he looked around the room a little, as if someone was going to jump out from behind one of the bookcases any second. "Anyway, I have what I needed, so we should head downstairs."

"Okay." She followed him out of the room, looking back at the globe one last time before she closed the door behind them.

**Well, that was long. But it's finished! :D Sorry... I know it was probably kind of boring. But there are a few things in there that might be a little important later on. ;) But seriously, I thought I was going to crawl up the wall with how much editing I ended up doing. :P Mostly, several paragraphs were moved around, and some were taken out altogether. It turned out kinda well though. I didn't leave it at as bad of a cliffhanger as the last two chapters, right? ;) So... Review if you can - I'd appreciate it. :) But if you really aren't able to, that's also fine. I'll try to update ASAP after 10 hits. See you next chapter! :D**


	13. Chapter 12

**Well... After much trial and error, I finally managed to finish this. And it's my longest chapter ever. I should throw a party or something. XD Anyway, I'll reply to last chapter's reviews now.**

**ultimashadow:** Thank you. :) Oh, shoot, really? Well... When I read that part, I started to get all worried. You know, like I always do. ;) But I think that I might have remedied that a little... Though what I'm talking about may make you (and everyone else) run for the hills, there is now a sort-of-reasonable explanation for Kluke's behavior. Still, if you think that I should change it, let me know. Oh, you do? Well... (_Jiro: ... She's going to do WHAT?! Y-you can't DO this to me! You said I was your favorite character!!_) To Jiro: And in the game, you still are, and will be for a long time to come. Maybe _someone _shouldn't read ahead. ;P Besides, Jiro dear, I'm thinking of scrapping that idea anyway. We'll see. ;) That aside, I couldn't agree with you more about Jiro. :) (_Jiro: None taken. Though I suggest you don't say that too loudly around my counterpart..._) Alright - I'll do my best. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Thanks. And, if all goes well, there should be loads of Jiro and Bouquet scenes to come. ;D Same goes for the Jiro and Shu scenes... and the Jiro and Kluke scenes... There'll be a lot of Jiro scenes in general. ;) Yeah, I see him like that, too - that's one of the reasons I like him so much. :) Ah, I'm looking forward to it! :D Sounds great - I'd love to see it. :)

**Review replies are done. Now, before I say anything else, I have an important notice for the readers and writers of Blue Dragon fan fiction. So...**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: A CHARACTER LIST HAS BEEN ADDED FOR THE BLUE DRAGON GAME CATEGORY.**

**If you've written any stories for Blue Dragon, you should probably try to add a character label (or whatever you want to call it) if you can. I know, for some stories, it's impossible to do this, because it focuses on too many characters to just have either one or two character labels. But if your story focuses on one or two characters, it would probably be a good idea to do that. Since the archive is getting close to three pages - yay!! - it'll make it easier for people to find and stuff... Besides, it's probably just me, but I think it's kind of neat. XD Anyway... On the same note, I am **_**so**_** stoked that accepted my character list! :D And it only took the two days to get it, too; I hadn't expected them to accept it that fast at all, since it seems like they're usually pretty busy. They told me in a reply to my character request that I should spread the word, and I figured that the best way to do this was in one of my stories. :) Oh... Also, I have a minor little warning; because it's minor, I'm only going to underline it: ****The following chapter, in the beginning, deals with a... not exactly mature subject matter.**** Despite this, I will not change the rating because of this. The subject in question is an important one to **_**everyone**_**, and I think it's better to know than not to know. I'll explain more at the bottom of the page, since I don't want to give too much away. Well, I think that's all that I have to bother you with (for now). So, after the chapter title, we can finally get on with the long-awaited chapter twelve of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_**! :D**

_Chapter 12: Bakuro (Revelation)_

When Jiro and Bouquet had gotten downstairs, the first thing they heard and saw was-

"Ow, Kluke! I'm only worried about _your_ safety! You didn't have to go and hit me!"

"J-just leave me alone, alright?!" Kluke's voice was trembling, and her face was red. "I'm fine!"

"No, you're not!" Marumaro pointed to the chair. "There's blood where you were sitting!"

"... I cut myself." she said after a moment.

"You cut the inside of your thigh?" Shu snorted, holding the top of his head where Kluke had hit him. "Yeah, right."

"I was shaving, okay?!" Kluke didn't sound very convincing.

Shu raised an eyebrow at her. "And you did this while me and Marumaro were here, talking with you?"

"Of course not!" she snapped at him. "I did it before I got here!"

"Why didn't it start bleeding until now?" Marumaro added.

"S-sometimes wounds take a long time to bleed!"

Jiro leaned his head against the doorpost in exasperation. "I can't believe this is happening..."

Bouquet just looked curiously at him, then the scene taking place, then back to Jiro again.

"Oh, Jiro!" Kluke started rushing towards him. "Thank God you're here! Can you talk to-"

"Oh, _no_!" Jiro cut her off swiftly, already starting to back away. "No, no, no, no, no! Kluke, you want to talk to me about what you're going through right now, that's fine. I'm more than happy to listen and be there for you. But you will _not_ rope me into another 'facts of life' conversation with Shu! It's your turn!"

"Well, maybe if _someone_ hadn't botched up the last 'facts of live' conversation with Shu, and botched up the ones before that, we wouldn't have to take turns!" she countered.

"Just for your information, _Shu_ is standing right here," Shu grated, thoroughly nettled at being treated like he wasn't in the room. "And _Shu _would also like to know why when he asks you a question, you keep telling him that you'll tell him when he's thirteen!"

Though she was a little confused, Bouquet thought she might as well try to help sort all of this out. "Excuse me..." She took a step inside of the room and-

"_Bouquet_!!!" Shu was crushing her in a hug in seconds.

"The Devee Dance of Joy!" Marumaro started spinning around in his normal dance patterns, glad that he was able to finally do one of his dances to celebrate Bouquet's recovery.

"Well, that was the real reason I came down here." Jiro said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh," Kluke flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry. I guess I got a little... carried away."

"I'm so happy you're okay!" Shu almost cried - he was so glad that she was safe - but held off, since crying in front of someone was bad enough, but he didn't want to do it in front of four people (possibly six, if Jiro's parents decided to come into the room). "I was so worried about you..."

"I'm sorry," Bouquet moved a bit, just so she could breathe a little. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's fine," Shu shook his head, moving so he held her at arms' length. "As long as you're safe, I don't care."

"Alright, alright, break it up," Kluke waved a hand in his face, not least of all because she was a little jealous, then turned her attention to Bouquet. "Let me see if I can fix you up, okay?"

* * *

"_Ouch_!" Bouquet attempted to pull her hand away, but it was in vain; Kluke had a stronger grip than she seemed to.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Kluke's tone was apologetic. "The medicine stings, but I have to put it on. If a burn like this gets infected, it's going to hurt a lot worse than it does right now."

Bouquet shuddered at the thought of infection, but that didn't keep her from whimpering as Kluke applied more of the balm.

Jiro racked his brain for a moment, until he came up with something that he thought might occupy her. "Bouquet, it seems to me that you like artifacts a lot, so I thought I would tell you a little bit about the ruins near the village..."

Shu stared at Bouquet's hand as Kluke bandaged it, though he didn't really see it - he was thinking about too much to really pay attention to what he was looking at.

"... and it looked pretty old. With the way that it aged, it was a little difficult to tell, but I'm guessing that it's 500 years old at the least, 1,250 years at the most..."

"_How do I go about asking her?_" Shu held back a sigh. "_I need to know, but I don't want her to be upset._"

Marumaro tilted his head. "How were you able to tell how old it was?"

"Oh, there are little ways to tell... Certain kinds of stone, certain kinds of paint... The way that it's constructed..."

"_She's already been through so much._" He glanced at Bouquet, seeing how her eyes got big as she listened to Jiro's stories of the ruins and the things inside of them. It was moments like these that you could see how she was still a kid, but sometimes it was still hard to believe she was as young as she was. The way she had bravely tried to destroy Nene's machine, only caring about saving the children, having no concern for her own safety... It was one of the most amazing things Shu had ever seen.

"There," Kluke said as she finished wrapping Bouquet's hand. "That should hold for a little while. At least until I have to change it again."

Bouquet withdrew her hand, holding it to her chest, fear written all over her face. "Y-you're going to change it again?"

"Yes; I'll have to keep changing it until it heals."

She bit her lip. "But... It really hurts, and-"

"Bouquet," The tone in Shu's voice wasn't happy, angry or sad. But there was something underneath... It was something that stopped everything and called everyone's attention to the speaker. "What happened to you?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Shu sighed a little. "I mean what I said. I want to know what happened to you. How all of this happened between you and Nene," he looked up, locking eyes with her. "I want to know how you got to where you are now."

"Oh..." A sad kind of understanding lit up her eyes, snuffing out the youthful wonder that had been there only a second before. "I'll tell you, but I want to ask you a question first." She took a deep breath. "What happened to the children?"

"They're fine," Jiro smiled a little. "Kluke was mostly preoccupied treating you, so the children were taken to Jibral for their treatment."

"Remember that little one who wouldn't let go of Shu?" Kluke giggled.

"Would you drop that already?!" Shu flushed in embarrassment. "I already told you what happened - she was scared, so I held her for a few minutes. That's _all_."

"She seemed pretty determined to stay with you, though."

"Kluke, knock it _off_!" Mumbling to himself under his breath, he added, "Why is she acting so weird today?..." He shook his head, then turned his attention back to Bouquet. "Don't worry about the kids; like Jiro said, they're fine. Go ahead and tell us what happened."

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I guess it really started about ten years ago. I was only a baby at the time, so I don't remember much of it; I only know what my..." Her voice caught for a second, but she ignored it and continued. "What my parents told me. There had been attacks on the village that I and my siblings were born in. I don't know what kind of attacks they were, because they never went into that much detail about it. My parents feared for their children, so they left the village. It wasn't that hard of a move, since they'd wanted to leave anyway, so they could study the world."

"Wait," Shu cut in. "What do you mean 'study the world'?"

Her lips upturned in a small, sad smile. "My family liked to study different things. The thing my father liked to study was artifacts," she glanced at Jiro for a second. "While my mother preferred herbs and plant life. My older sister liked the stars and the moons, and my brother liked creatures. I kind of developed a like for all of those things, though I liked artifacts more than anything else. My little sister..." Bouquet looked away. "She was a baby, so none of us ever found out what she would've liked."

The room fell into complete silence. A horrible, understanding silence. After a few moments had passed by without anyone saying anything, Shu reached over and took Bouquet's hand. He didn't speak, but he squeezed it in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

It seemed to work a little. Bouquet looked back at him, that sad smile still there, but her eyes were shining more than they were before. Very similar to the unusual brightness of unshed tears. "Sorry. I'm alright... I got a little off track, so let me just continue..."

"We traveled together for four years. We rode around in a wagon, and when we stopped for a break, we would camp out in tents until we moved along. It... It was a nice life. Maybe not the kind of life that everyone else is used to, but it was still a nice life." She took another deep breath. "All of that changed six years ago. We had been moving around like normal, when... Well, it happened suddenly. Mecha Robos came out of nowhere, and started attacking the caravan. My father managed to hide me, but the Robos took everyone else, including him. They destroyed everything... All of our belongings... All of my father's artifacts..."

"I was left alone. I had no where to go. The village we had come from had been reduced to nothing long ago. I just kind of... wandered around for a while. After a few days or so, I ended up in Kolin. I started to try and find little jobs I could do, things like helping people clean their houses, so I could get money to buy food. It was hard to find any kind of real work, since not many people hire five-year-olds."

"I had been in the city about a week when he came to me. I was by the city's junk piles, looking for things that I could sell or use in the abandoned house I was living in-"

"That house was _abandoned_?" Shu gaped at her.

"Yes, why?" she blinked at him. "That's why there were so many holes in the floor and walls."

"You never said anything..."

"Shu, be quiet!" Marumaro yelled at him. "Maro wants to hear the rest of Bouquet's story!"

"Well... Like I was saying, I was searching the junk piles. And then it happened like it did last time; suddenly, and without warning. Something grabbed me hard from behind, and when I turned to see what it was, it was one of the Mecha Robos that had taken my family. I started kicking and screaming, trying to get away from it, but its grip was too strong. When it turned me around, I saw more Mecha Robos surrounding an old man. Before I could do or say anything else, he told me that he had my parents. I yelled at him to tell me where they were, but he only laughed at me. He promised me that if I helped him, he would give my parents back."

"I... I was young at the time. Well, younger than I am now. Anyway, I didn't think about the things he was going to try and do... I told him that I'd do whatever he wanted, as long as he let me see my family again. He told me that he would... and I was stupid enough to believe him."

"You weren't stupid," Shu said, bitterness towards Nene seeping into his voice. "Nene just likes to toy with people."

"That may be true, but I still fell for it," She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "For a while, I didn't have much contact with Nene. He still sent me little reminders that he had my parents, in the form of talking to me through the Ancient monitors that were in the antique shop I liked to go to. A few times I thought of not going there, since I couldn't stand to look at the person who was responsible for taking my parents away. But being around so many antiques was comforting, since it reminded me of my father. And I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss any of his 'conversations', because I figured that eventually he would stop taunting me and tell me what I had to do so I could see my family again."

"I had to wait three, agonizing years before Nene finally told me anything. Actually, he did more than told me. While I was searching the junk piles again, he appeared to me much like he had before. This time, he gave me a sphere of light, and told me to swallow it. He said that it would give me incredible power, and he needed those powers to grow in me before he could utilize them properly. I was scared, but I knew that this would be the only way to see my family again, so I did it. My throat burned, and my shadow grew... I guess it happened the same way it happened to the rest of you."

Her smile grew, finally reaching her eyes as she said, "My Shadow became close with me very quickly. The Shadow didn't talk, but Hippopotamus always listened to me. During that time... I really needed that. I just needed someone to _be_ there."

The happiness left her eyes. "Nene was right about one thing - my powers grew. As I discovered what these powers were, I started to become afraid of all of these things that I could do." She almost told them everything, what these powers were that she had. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not yet.

"He told me to train using my Shadow, so that's what I did. I always made sure that I was far away from anyone who might see. I thought that if my powers frightened me as much as they did, anyone else would be just as afraid."

"I really should've known that something was wrong when Nene told me that I needed to practice with my flute. But... I guess I should probably explain, since that doesn't make much sense. You see... I'm a descendant of the Ra Clan, which no longer exists after Nene's attacks. And one of the special abilities that the Ra Clan has is the skill with the flute. If a descendant of the Ra Clan plays a certain song, it's almost like casting a spell with a Shadow. The magic isn't quite that powerful, but there are things that can be done with one of the flute songs that can't be done with Shadow magic. I guess that's why Nene chose me."

"I continued to practice, both my powers and the songs. Life just went on like that, each day hoping that I would be closer to getting my family back. One day, about six months ago, he finally told me what I had to do. I was supposed to use the Shadow magic to warp around cities, using the flute music to kidnap children. The children had to be human, and they had to be under the age of thirteen. That's why I only took Shu and didn't take the rest of you. The age and race had something to do with the magic energy that Nene wanted to drain; I guess that a young human provides a more potent magic or something. I'm not really sure - he wasn't that specific, and I couldn't find out much otherwise."

"Well... I kind of went back and forth, taking a few children, then resting in Kolin. One time while I was by the junk piles, I saw something falling through the sky. When it landed at the top of one of the piles, it sent all of that stuff flying towards me. I managed to dig myself out a few minutes later. I was curious about what it was, so I climbed the pile and dug out the items that had collapsed inside the hole the flying object had made. I discovered that it was a boy... And, well, you know the rest."

"Bouquet..." Shu didn't really know what else to say. But, somehow, saying her name seemed more appropriate than anything else.

Bouquet looked down, her hair covering her face, her shoulders shaking. "I... I know I'm a bad person for helping Nene... A-and I'm sorry... I know that what I did shouldn't be forgiven, but I'm still sorry..." She was interrupted when she inhaled sharply - the beginning of a sob.

"Don't," Kluke placed a hand on her arm. "Don't do that to yourself. What other choice did you have? If I could have my parents back..." Her voice trembled for a moment. "I don't know if there's anything I wouldn't do."

"You want to help defeat Nene, don't you?" When Bouquet rapidly nodded her head, Shu continued. "Then that's all that matters. You're sorry for what you did, and you didn't even want to do it in the first place. The things you did to help him are in the past, so don't worry about it anymore."

Marumaro hopped out of his chair, moving over in front of Bouquet, taking her hand. "Maro thinks you're a good person!"

Jiro nodded, smiling. "I agree with him. Everyone makes mistakes - no matter how hard we try, we can't be perfect, because that's just the way people are. But that doesn't mean that we can't move past those mistakes."

"I..." Bouquet closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, there were small tears forming. She looked at the four of them, their smiling faces that were welcoming and trusting. "Thank you... All of you... Thank you."

* * *

Jiro set the book down on the table with a loud "thud". "I think you'll like this."

Bouquet's eyes widened as she saw it "This... This is a..."

"Dictionary in one of the ancient languages," he finished for her, grinning broadly. "I've been trying to decipher it, but I haven't been able to get that far. You seem very knowledgeable, so I thought you could help me."

"I'd love to!" As he sat down next to her, Bouquet was so happy that she thought might start to float.

Marumaro, who was sitting next to her, briefly wondered three things. One: How had he gotten into this? Two: Why hadn't he gotten out of the chair sooner? And three: How was he going to get _out_ of this?

Kluke stared hard as she watched Jiro point out words in the dictionary to Bouquet.

"Why are you looking at them like that?" She nearly jumped when she heard Shu's voice. "I thought you liked Bouquet."

"I do," Kluke said quickly. "I guess... I'm just looking in that direction, but I'm not actually glaring at Bouquet. I'm thinking about Nene, and what he did to her, so that's why I look angry. I mean... If I _do_ look angry; I don't even know."

"I see," he nodded. "I know what you mean. As soon as Zola gets back, I want to go after Nene as quickly as possible."

Kluke brightened a little. "Zola was supposed to come back pretty soon, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, definitely sometime today. For all we know, maybe even the next few minutes. All we can really do is wait."

* * *

Shu wasn't that far off. Not really. To be exact, it was about fifteen minutes later when Zola arrived in the mechat.

"Jiro! Marumaro! Bouquet! Come on!" Kluke stood near the currently open front door of Jiro's house; she was waiting for them by herself, since Shu had run outside as soon as he heard the familiar sound of the engine. "Zola's back!"

Jiro was about to reply, but his mother placed her hand on his shoulder first. "Go on ahead, dear. I'll put this away."

"Thank you." Jiro smiled at her warmly, standing. "Even if we have to go, I'll come back to let you and Father know, so I'll see you in a few minutes."

After the three of them had left the room, Jiro's mother sighed, holding the book close to her. She felt incredibly proud of her son, but... She just wished that he could be at home more.

Outside, the others finally caught up to Shu, who was standing near the mechat. Just as they reached him, Zola jumped down from the ladder.

"Lady Zola!" Marumaro hugged her leg immediately.

Like in the Ancient Sphere, she mostly ignored it, but didn't really mind that he was doing it anyway. But also like that time in the Ancient Sphere, the sense of urgency was what made her ignore him. "The Jibral scientists were able to increase the power of their radar with the help of the mechat's radar, so they've now managed to detect Nene. He's not very far from where he took off - we're not sure what is, but something's slowing him down. But that means that if we hurry, we should be able to catch him."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Shu looked everyone behind him, then at Zola again. "Let's go, guys."

"M-me too?" Bouquet pointed to herself.

He smiled at her. "Of course. You're one of us now."

"Okay," she nodded. "I'll do my best!"

"Alright!" Shu fisted his hand, moving it downward for emphasis. "Let's take Nene down!"

**... I can't believe I finally finished it. This took me so long... And I don't even know why. I've been having really bad writer's block with all of my stuff lately. :( Anyway, I don't know how this chapter turned out... But I hope that you enjoyed it. :) I'm still a bit... worried, about the beginning part with Kluke. I still don't think I should change the rating, since that's something everyone should know, regardless of your gender. Chances are that you'll have to deal with it, one way or another, regardless of your gender. :P Anyway, I already have some loose ideas for the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too long before the next chapter is done. Hopefully, it won't take as long as this one did. So... Please review if you can (though it's fine if you can't). I'll try to update after 10 hits. See you soon! :D**


	14. Chapter 13

**Well, it's been a long time, but I'm finally back. :D Wow; so much happened since I last updated this story (it's been over four months, after all)... Too much to mention all of it. :P I already did this in my recent story **_**Fragments**_**, but I guess the biggest thing for me to mention (or at least the only one I can think of) right now is this: I have a new poll on my profile, one that decides which of my stories will be updated/uploaded next. After this chapter of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** has been uploaded, I'll be clearing the current results, so if you already have, **_**please remember to vote again**_**. Ah, and if you haven't voted yet, you'll probably want to, at least if there's a story you want me to update/upload. :P So, with that, I think it's an appropriate time for the review replies. ;)**

**Growlmon1:** I had a similar reaction when I updated (then and now). XD Thank you; I'm glad you liked it. :) I know; I felt so bad for her when I wrote that. :( Ah, really? XD I wanted to bring her in, but I couldn't figure out where... I ended up having her show up there, because her arrival didn't really fit anywhere else. Thanks again. :D I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait, but it's finally here.

**WindGoddess Rune:** Yep! :D Finally, huh? XD It is. :) Sorry for the wait, but here's the next chapter. :D

**Ultimashadow:** Thanks! :D I agree with both you and Shu on that one. _Still_? I thought her going through that would've explained it for sure... You _do_ know what it is that Kluke's going through, right? ;) But... I consider that OOC, so if what she's going through isn't a good reason for her behavior, let me know; I'll have to go back and edit it. Ah... Her being "soft" is the very reason I prefer the Game Kluke to the Anime Kluke. ;P (_Kluke: I guess I'm not really offended...*sigh* I suppose that men just don't understand..._) (_Some do._) Yes, I did. :) *flails* A-ah, Ultimashadow, get up; you're embarrassing me! *calms, but blushing* Thanks, though; I'll do my best. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Don't forget your studies, An, but all the same, I'm glad you're here. XD (_Jiro: You're a bad example._) (_I-I'm trying not to be!_) Alright... Ah, all in good time. All in good time... XD (_Jiro: It's not funny..._) O-oh, r-right, a-about that... I know - if things had happened differently, I think they probably would've been very similar people. I love Jiro in both the game and anime, too (Game Jiro just that bit more; the Anime Jiro only ended up as my third favorite because of Bouquet and Shu, but I forgot that those two were supposed to be tied, so he's actually kind of second... I should go fix that...). Me too. :( I, um, actually should have said more concerning the Anime Jiro... But I had been just a bit miffed by a certain sentence, so I thought it would be better if only Jiro replied. *looks away in shame* Ah, it is. :) Yes... *blushes lightly* I had wondered briefly if it was possible that Kluke hadn't gotten hers yet... But I figured by 14, she probably had. ;P And going by what the game says, it's almost certain that she has it (I'm pretty sure most girls have theirs at 16-years-old). Yes, it's an important thing to know about. Yep, certainly a good time. XD Yes. *nods sagely* Yeah... :( Thank you. :) That's good; all of the stuff I was hoping it would be. ;) I wanted to unveil Bouquet's history, but I didn't know the proper place... I was originally going to go with a flashback, but I thought that Bouquet telling the story herself would work better. I'm sorry the wait for the next chapter took so long; it's finally here, though. :D Ah, I know the feeling all too well (very especially with math). XP (_Jiro: ... Very especially?_) (_J-just go with it._) (_Jiro: I understand now why people jump from high things..._) Yep, there's definitely a bit of jealousy (on Kluke's part, for a change). XD (_Kluke: *blushing* Wh-who's jealous?!_) Just that first time with Shu, though - despite her slightly rushed explanation, Kluke was genuinely angry at Nene even though she was looking at Bouquet. Kluke has a lot of sympathy towards Bouquet because of what happened to both of their families... Because of that, even if Kluke ends up getting more jealous of Bouquet in the future (it's certainly possible XD), their relationship will probably never be as hostile as it is in the anime. In fact, there's a good chance they'll become close friends. :) Still, the plot is young; anything can happen, so we'll see. ;) Ah... I see someone hasn't been reading my author notes. XD But, here are the ages for the current main group: Shu is 12, Jiro and Kluke are 14, Marumaro and Bouquet are 11, and Zola is 20. For the rest of the ages, just refer back to chapter 1's lower author note. :) Thank you - I'm not really sure if you meant Jiro and Kluke towards Shu, or Jiro's mother towards Jiro near the end, but that was what I wanted to emphasize in both of those scenes (you found one of my parallels! :D), so I'm very happy I managed to do that (no matter which scene it was that you meant). :) I'm sorry for the wait, but at long last, the new chapter is here! :D

**And review replies are done! :D ... God, I missed writing this story so much. So, so much. But, I finally got to write it again... And it was so much fun. XD Also, two things have come to my attention. One: My underline hasn't been working for some reason (why didn't anyone tell me?). So, I'll be limiting my use of the underline... Two: Ultimashadow has alerted me to the fact that in the last two chapters, Kluke has been acting like the Anime Kluke. If you think so as well, please let me know - I consider that to be out of character, and if that's the case, I want to correct it as quickly as possible. And there's just one note that I have to leave:**

**Note: From this point on, thoughts are in italics without quotation marks. Sometimes whole sentences need italics for emphasis, so I'm going to stop using quotation marks during thoughts. That's going to be the case with most, if not all, of my stories.**

**And I think that's all I need to mention. So, here I present to you the long-awaited next chapter of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** - read on! ;D**

_Chapter 13: Oikakeru (Chase)_

"So where exactly is Nene's location, Zola?" Kluke asked after they had been going for a little while.

"Not that far from the Ancient Sphere's explosion point. A few miles northeast, to be exact. With the mechat, though, miles don't make much difference."

"Don't worry about it," Shu's tone was nonchalant. He did that mostly for Kluke's sake, because he was boiling inside because of what happened to both her and Bouquet. When he got his hands on Nene... "When we get close enough to him, I'll see him on the radar."

As Shu, Kluke and Zola continued to talk at the front of the ship, Marumaro noticed Jiro looking around nervously. "What's wrong, Jiro?"

"Bouquet's gone."

Marumaro shrugged. "She's probably down in the cabin."

"I'm going to go check on her," Jiro stepped away from the turret gun, then pointed to it. "Watch that for me. But don't fire it!"

He sighed. "Maro only did that one time."

"And I'd like to keep it at one time. If something happens, don't do anything but call me." With that, Jiro headed towards the ladder.

* * *

Both of her hands pressed against the window as she looked out of it, sitting sideways in her chair. Flying like this... It was just so amazing... She was actually hundreds of feet above ground... The whole experience felt extraordinary.

"Bouquet?" She jumped upon hearing his voice. "Why are you down here by yourself?"

"Oh... I just needed to think a few things through." She had been able to take her mind off of her worries when looking outside, but that had kind of brought it all crashing back.

"Want some company?"

She blinked, and then a small smile lit up her face. "Sure."

Jiro sat down in the seat next to her. "So, what were you thinking about, that made you come down here?"

She didn't really answer, save for a small noise of discomfort in the back of her throat, looking down.

"I'm sorry," Jiro said quickly. "I... That was wrong of me, to ask so abruptly like that. You don't have to tell me unless you want to."

"No, it's not that." She waved her hands in front of her. "What I'm worrying about is really bothering me; that's why I acted like that." She started fiddling with her hands. "But... Maybe it's better if I talk to someone about it." She looked over at him, managing a half-smile, before dropping her gaze again.

"If it'll help you feel better, I'm more than happy to hear you out."

Bouquet sighed; her apron was fisted in her hands. "I... I want to apologize to Shu. I mean, I know that I apologized to all of you before. But, I feel like I need to say something to him personally. He's my first real friend, and what I did... The only thing I can really call it is betrayal. I'm really nervous... and a little afraid, too. I don't want to lose our friendship."

Jiro laid a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to worry about it. Shu is pretty forgiving." She couldn't really say what it was, but something in his voice sounded like he'd had experience.

"R-really?" When Jiro nodded, some of the tension left her. She continued by saying, "Alright, then... Thanks for listening." She giggled then. "I guess it's kind of silly, but that was the reason I came down here."

He shook his head. "No, it's not. If I was in your position, and I had only known him as long as you have, I'd be worried, too." He chuckled. "Then again, there isn't a lot that I _don't_ worry about."

Bouquet giggled a little. "Do you worry a lot?"

Jiro full out laughed then. "You have no idea."

* * *

"Ow!" Kluke cried out in pain, clutching both the railing and her stomach. _Here it comes,_ she thought. _The pain._ It was always like that for her when this happened - she would be extremely agitated and crabby for the first few hours, and then once that stopped, the stomach cramps started.

Shu whirled around. "Kluke, are you alright?!"

"Yeah," she croaked out. "Just fine."

"Shu!" Marumaro yelled at him. "You have to watch where we're going!"

"Oh," Shu flushed in embarrassment, then turned back around. "Right. Sorry."

Zola laid a hand on her shoulder. "Kluke, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." Kluke smiled at her, nodding. "It's just, um... Just that 'time of month', if you know what I mean."

"I see." An understanding lit up Zola's eyes, as well as a good deal of female sympathy.

Kluke sighed, blowing a lock that had slipped away from the others framing the right side of her face. "I bet yours aren't this bad."

"No, but they were before I became a mercenary; back then I was mostly the same body type, but not as fit as after I became one."

"Really?" She was genuinely surprised; seeing Zola as she was now, Kluke had trouble imagining the older woman doing anything else.

Zola was about to reply, but at that very moment, Shu cried out, "Hey, guys, you might want to come look at this!"

* * *

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?" Bouquet had her feet up on the edge of the seat, her hands joined just below her knees. Jiro thought that Shu would be severely disapproving of shoes being on the mechat seats - he was always trying so hard to take care of the ship - but he hadn't mentioned it to Bouquet yet.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I was just wondering... Back in the Ancient Sphere, what happened after I went unconscious?"

For some reason, though Bouquet couldn't figure out why, Jiro blushed. "Well... I had been knocked out myself, but when I woke up, Kluke told me that you had tried to destroy Nene's machine. From the looks of things, I had guessed that it exploded. Then Kluke saw Nene, and she charged after him. He managed to get away through a hole in the wall, and Kluke almost fell out of it, but Shu managed to catch her. As he was pulling her up, I saw that you were lying on the ground, so I went to see if you were okay... Kluke and Shu came over there a few minutes after I did. Kluke started checking to make sure your heart rate was okay, and Shu... He was worried about you. Really, really worried. Kluke had to send him away, because he was distracting her. A few minutes later, Zola ran in and told us that the Ancient Sphere was about to explode. I, um..." It was here that Jiro floundered.

"You what?" Bouquet asked. "What happened after that?"

"I-I, um, I carried you..." His face became even redder, and it started to click in place for her why he had flushed in the first place. Regardless, he tried to continue. "Yeah. I carried you out and onto one of the air balloons. After a while you started moaning in your sleep, so Shu tried to wake you up. I told him not to, but he wouldn't listen. You woke up for a second and mumbled his name... You tried reaching towards him, but you fell unconscious again. Shu was pretty upset after that, more than he's been in a long while. He thought you weren't going to wake up."

Bouquet looked down, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. After a minute, she sighed and stopped, seemingly like she was giving up on something. "I don't remember that at all... That aside, though..." She frowned sadly. "I feel bad that Shu was so worried about me. I didn't mean to worry him so much."

Jiro shook his head, smiling. "It's alright. Trust me, the fact that you're alive and awake is more than enough for him."

She seemed like she was about to reply, but then stopped. She blinked at him. "Wait a minute... You were carrying me that whole time?"

Jiro looked away, the red tinge returning. "Yeah, I did."

Bouquet looked down thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "Wasn't I heavy?"

Jiro turned his towards her again, slightly surprised - whatever he'd thought she might say, that had definitely not been it. "N-no... Well, maybe a little, but that's just for me. I don't have much in the way of upper body strength. If someone else had been carrying you, they would've had no problem. Also, I was kind of beaten up from the battle before, so I was already pretty exhausted."

Bouquet opened her mouth to say something, but she never had a chance - the mechat was jarred as something hit its side.

* * *

Kluke barely grabbed the rail, just managing to keep herself from spilling onto the floor - then winced as a wave of pain went through her abdomen; sudden movement like that was so painful for her stomach...

"Shoot! They're firing at us!" Shu looked off to the left, his hair blown around even more by the increased speed (if they were going to start shooting at him, he at least wanted to try and accelerate to get away).

Zola leaned over the entrance to the mechat cabin. "Jiro, get up here now!"

Marumaro hopped frantically from foot to foot. "Is it Nene?!"

"No, I don't think so." Shu kept his eyes trained forward, but he tilted his head slightly to the left to acknowledge Marumaro. "I think that's one of the mechats the Mecha Robos used to flee. I doubt Nene would leave himself so open. The other two mechats are probably guarding him further ahead."

"I agree," Zola nodded to him. "We can't let them get in our way. We'll fire if necessary, but we need to focus on getting past them and reaching Nene."

Kluke spun around when she heard someone grunting, then saw Jiro getting to his feet. "What's the situation?" he asked, trying to keep himself steady.

"We've got company." Shu jerked his thumb to the right, where the other mechat could be seen coming closer.

Zola turned around. "Jiro, can you handle the machine gun?"

"Leave it to me." He was already heading towards it.

Bouquet finished climbing the ladder leading to the cabin, crouching on the ground in front of the entrance. "Wh-what's going on up here?..."

Marumaro, who was closest to her, answered with, "We're under attack!" He stood on the tips of his toes, his fists waving.

"Attack by wh- _ah_!" She screamed, falling forward.

"Hang onto something!" Kluke urged her. "It's going to get pretty bumpy!"

"Shu, descend!" Jiro yelled.

"I'm try- _ow_!" Another missile jostled the mechat. Shu muttered something exceedingly uncomplimentary under his breath, then furiously jabbed the button to send out a wave of their own mechat's missiles.

They hit the enemy mechat dead on, but a retaliation was already on its way - a sweeping arc of machine gun fire was just a few seconds from them.

"Drop!" Zola ordered, hitting the ground and pulling Kluke with her; Jiro (temporarily abandoning the machine gun), Marumaro, and Bouquet followed suit.

"What the heck am I supposed to do?!" Shu cried out as the machine gun ammo hit the back of the mechat, quickly moving across the base of the ship. He flinched away as it got nearer and nearer; he was done for-

"Shu!!" Jiro outstretched his hand. Minotaur summoned, mimicking its user's motion, causing a Shield barrier to form around Shu.

The machine gun fire bounced off of the shield. Jiro and Minotaur simultaneously grimaced - damage done to a barrier always caused slight pain to the caster, though it could be worse depending on the type and severity of the attack.

The arc swept the mechat one more time, this time going in the opposite direction, before finally stopping.

"Thanks!" Shu called over his shoulder.

"No problem." Since it seemed momentarily safe, Jiro stood and unsummoned his Shadow.

Shu outstretched his hand, ready to hit the missile button with the side of his fist. "Let's get 'em, Jiro!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Jiro got in position to fire whenever the time came.

The enemy mechat banked downwards and out of sight.

"Hey!" Shu yelled in indignation. "Where are they going?! If they think I'm going to let them get away with hurting the mechat, they've got another thing coming-!"

"Shu!" Zola interrupted him. "Never mind them! Our priority is Nene! If they're running, all the better!"

Shu twisted to look at her, then over at where the other mechat _had_ been, and then down, muttering curses that weren't exactly quiet. He lifted his head again begrudgingly and drove the mechat forward with increased speed.

Kluke knelt down, still holding the railing, groaning with pain. "Why did it have to happen _right now_?..." Whether she meant chasing Nene or the... other issue... was ambiguous.

"Hang in there," Zola put a hand on her shoulder. "You can go down into the cabin if you like. Now would be the time, before we encounter more trouble."

"No." Kluke clenched her teeth, bringing her head back up. "I want to be up here for this."

"Kluke, do you want me to try and use some White Magic on you?" Jiro offered.

She looked over at him, her smile only forced because of the aching. "No, it's alright. I already tried it. It's true, your White Magic is certainly stronger than mine is... But it if it was able to help this, the spell probably would've worked at least a little, and it didn't."

"How much longer do you have before the pain stops?"

"Ah... Probably an hour or so... It usually doesn't last too long." Her smile turned wry. "I'm surprised. We've spent so much time together, I thought you would've remembered how long it takes."

"I don't know how long it was since it started." He pointed out, grinning slightly; if Kluke was in better enough spirits that she could joke, she probably _was_ feeling at least a little better.

"I see him on the radar!" Shu shouted suddenly.

Zola came over to his side hurriedly, putting a hand on the pilot's chair, leaning over so she could get a better look. "It looks like they're in a triangular formation. The two in the back are probably the Mecha Robo mechats, while the other one is the mechat carrying Nene."

Jiro stood akimbo. "Shu, do you have any visual yet?"

"Not yet," he replied. "But probably soon. He's pretty close."

Zola turned. "I know I've already asked Kluke, but anyone who wants to go below deck should go now. It's going to get pretty dangerous."

"Well, it's not like me or Jiro can go down there..." Shu muttered just loud enough for only Zola to hear.

"Bouquet..." She turned around when Jiro said her name. "Maybe you should head for the cabin. You're still pretty weak from before, and Zola's right - it isn't safe." Concern was written across his face, reflected in his eyes.

She shook her head determinedly, pigtails swinging until she stopped, gazing at him steadily. "I can't. After what Nene did to my family... I want revenge just as much as everyone else here. The last thing I'm going to do is run from him."

"But-" He lifted his hand up, then lowered it slightly. "... Alright. Just... Just try to be careful, okay?"

Marumaro pointed upward, on the tips of his toes again. "Maro will look after her!"

Kluke nodded. "I'll protect her, too."

Jiro was about to reply, maybe with a "thank you" or something related, but was interrupted by Zola shouting, "There they are!"

Three mechats could be seen at first, but the two behind the first one moved closer together to obscure the frontal mechat from view.

"Looks like your hunch about the two mechats guarding him was right, Shu." Kluke said.

"We'll see about that." Shu sent out a missile. "Jiro, fire whenever you're in range!"

"Ready!" Jiro set his feet.

The missile was fired down by opposing machine gun fire. Shu cursed and tried again, only to have the exact same thing happen.

Shu let out a frustrated noise. "How are we supposed to attack them if they keep countering like that?!" _Besides, that was _our_ strategy!_

"We'll have to forget about attacking them for now," Zola told him. "Try and get us closer first."

"Okay!" Shu pushed on the controls; the mechat surged forward.

Just when they seemed close enough, the two mechats opened fire with the machine guns.

Jiro released the machine gun and put up a Shield that was only frontal. He cried out slightly as both waves of ammo hit the barrier.

"Jiro!" Kluke leaned forward from where she and Marumaro were trying to protect Bouquet.

"I'm alright." _I hope,_ he added mentally.

Another wave of machine gun ammo hit the barrier, followed by two missiles. Jiro yelled again, the barrier flickering slightly.

"That's _enough_!" Shu pushed the controls forward viciously. The mechat charged forward blindingly fast - ramming straight into the back of the left hand mechat, shaking it considerably enough that they were unable to return the attack.

"Does this mean if I almost kill myself every once in a while, you'll finally do stuff when I ask you?" Jiro commented dryly.

"No, and don't even think about it," was Shu's absent-minded reply. Moving quickly, and hoping that he wasn't making a mistake, he backed up the mechat and rammed the opposing one again.

He barely had the time to blink before he saw that a Mecha Robo was manning the enemy's machine gun - and it was aiming right for his face.

Kluke leapt onto the railing, simultaneously bringing out Phoenix. "Oh, no you don't!" She had her Shadow blow a Windus spell at it; the Wind-element attack knocked back the Mecha Robo, also causing the machine gun to spin completely around. Quickly realizing that the right-hand side mechat's occupants might try the same thing, she used another Windus spell, mirroring her first results.

"Thanks, Kluke! That was awesome!" Shu cheered.

"You're welcome." Blushing lightly at his praise, she unsummoned Phoenix and dropped back onto the mechat floor - and immediately flinched in pain, grabbing her stomach again. Oh, Nene was going to _pay_ for this...

"Shu, you have to move the mechat back!" Zola instructed. "There's no future in just striking them from behind!"

With a reluctant sigh, Shu tilted the ship so they were diagonal to the enemy.

"Shu, hold it still for a minute!" Jiro shouted. "I've got a clear shot on the mechat on the right!" Without waiting, he started firing with the machine gun.

"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do...?" Shu muttered in annoyance. He was still too close to the other mechat to use the missiles, so he was essentially stuck doing nothing for the time being.

Jiro had been at it for only a few seconds before the other mechat pulled away, similar to how that first one had done; the mechat on the left side rapidly moved to block the one in front.

Shu looked off to the side. "Why do they keep doing that?"

Zola pointed. "We'll worry about it in a minute - move farther away from it so you can use the missiles and give Jiro better range."

"Got it!" Shu moved off to the right (the direction Zola had indicated), and almost immediately used another missile as Jiro attacked with the machine gun.

The enemy mechat didn't put up with that treatment for long - even sooner than the one previous, the ship retreated away from them.

Jiro narrowed his eyes. _Why are they giving up so easily? It doesn't make sense..._

Shu made the mechat rush forward, so it was level with the last opposition. He could see him, and that sparked off all of the memories, all of the hatred; he couldn't help his enraged scream. "Nene!!"

He saw the Ancient turn his head, smirking right at him.

Bouquet leapt to her feet. "_You_-!!"

"Bouquet, no!" Kluke grabbed her around the waist. "Don't." Still, she sent a glare in Nene's direction that she wished could kill.

Even from the distance, Bouquet managed to make out Nene shifting his gaze to her. "So," he began drawling over the noise made by the two mechat engines. "I see you're working for them now, my dear." (It sounded like Deathroy might have said "My dear! My dear!", but it was too noisy to be sure.)

She looked taken aback. "I-"

"Bouquet's not working for us!" Marumaro yelled at him. "Bouquet is our friend - we work together!"

"That's right!" Shu joined in. "And we're going to work together to take you down!"

"Hmph. I'd like to see you try."

With something akin to a battle cry, Shu pitched the mechat to the side; the metal coverings screeched as the two ships bumped together.

Jiro had turned the machine gun to fire, but too late - the Mecha Robo piloting the machine gun of Nene's mechat turned out to be Szabo, who lifted one of his pistols and shot.

"Jiro!" Kluke ran forward when he fell.

He clutched his arm, grinding his teeth - not a serious wound, but deep enough to hurt (enough for him to not want to move it anyway). He wondered if Szabo's attack had been meant to disable or kill.

"Jiro, are you alright?!" Kluke held his shoulder, looking close to tears.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You'll pay for that!" Shu snarled, unintelligible whether this was towards Nene or Szabo, throwing the controls to the right. Once far enough away, he fired off three missiles in succession.

Szabo fired all of them down with pistol fire, then fired directly at the mechat; the hole it left was twice the size of the ones caused by machine gun ammo.

Shu looked around when he heard Kluke scream Jiro's name - he was standing in front of the machine gun, prepared to use it. "Jiro, what are you doing?!" Shu yelled.

"I'm fine, Shu," Jiro replied calmly. "I've had wounds a lot worse than this. Bring us closer."

Shu started to protest. "But-"

"Don't worry about me," he interrupted steadily. "Who knows when we'll get another chance like this? We have to take advantage of it, and I'm not going to allow myself to hold us back."

Shu let loose with a few well-used curses, then flew the mechat close enough - about sixteen feet away.

"Shu," Jiro added. "Move the ship closer. And I need you to try as hard as you can to keep the ship steady."

"But, Szabo-"

"Trust me!"

_Jiro, what the heck are you doing?_ Regardless of this thought, he brought the mechat nearer to Nene's.

Szabo immediately took aim. Just as the Robo fired, Jiro gave the machine gun trigger a hard jerk, his hand poised near his head in a similar to manner of one who's fired a bow. The machine gun and pistol ammo met in mid-air, perfectly countering each other.

"I could've done that the first time if he hadn't caught me off guard." He said this mostly to himself, but loud enough for anyone listening to hear.

Marumaro gaped at him. "How did you do that?!"

Shu and Jiro simultaneously smirked, both of them saying, "Artist's eye."

* * *

Szabo muttered angrily to himself. "Another brat to remember to kill..." How in the world had he been bested by two human boys (they weren't even grown... in fact, that first one seemed _under_-grown...)? And not even twenty-four hours apart!

* * *

Shu backed up for a second, just long enough to use another missile, before returning just enough for Jiro to counter Szabo if the need arose.

"Shu, we have to try something else!" Zola said from where she was crouched down. "The only thing this is accomplishing is a stalemate!"

"I know, but what do we do?!" He racked his brain for a solution, but was coming up with nothing. He looked around, hoping to find an answer - they were flying lower and lower as they went, and they'd be close to the ground soon. There were pillar-like mountains over here, though, so that would probably be more of a hindrance than a help. Well, he could do what he always did when he couldn't think of something: "Jiro, do you have any ideas?!"

"Kind of busy right now!" Jiro said through gritted teeth; he'd just finished countering a pistol attack from Szabo.

Shu groaned. "_Great_."

He went rigid as Nene brought his mechat closer - much, much too close. Nene chuckled, then said, "Having trouble, boy?"

"Get away!!" Shu slammed the mechat into Nene's, then pulled away slightly. "If you think I'm going to quit now, you're wrong! I'll defeat you if it's the last thing it takes you stinking, son of a-"

It was at this point, and most fortunate for younger ears, that Shu's rambling was cut off from Nene's ears by one of those previously thought of mountains.

This mountain was more like a slab that curved inwards, and took almost half a minute before the mechat reemerged, Shu's rant resuming and ending with, "-and throw you in!"

Jiro looked so utterly stunned, he seemed like he might fall over at any minute. "... My ears are burning."

"Shu..." Kluke started. "... Where did you learn how to say that?"

He was about to respond, but was interrupted by Nene. "That was fairly amusing, but I'm afraid that I'll have to take my leave now. I didn't come out here for nothing, after all."

"What-?!" Shu started, but immediately cut off as something happened that shocked him to the core.

Nene warped away.

* * *

"_No_!!!" Shu flew the mechat forward, passing through the place Nene's mechat had been only seconds before, as if it would cause them to warp away after him.

"He..." Bouquet started weakly. "He's gone..."

"No! He can't be!" Shu looked around frantically.

"Shu, can you see him on the radar?" Zola asked quietly.

Shu looked down - it was blank. "No, there's nothing." He swallowed, his voice muted as he repeated. "There's nothing..." He closed his eyes, then... "_Agh_!!" He slammed his fist into the mechat, directly above the radar. _I... I let him get away..._

Kluke dropped her head, looking at her hands in her lap. She balled up her skirt in tightened fists. "He could have left the whole time... But he stayed so he could laugh at us."

"Hey, guys! Maro sees something over there!" Marumaro hung off the side of the railing, pointing.

"What..." Jiro started, then stopped, unable to continue. It couldn't be...

"Shu, bring us closer!" Zola said sternly.

Replying with a nod and affirmative noise, Shu leaned forward, bringing the mechat to what had been seen.

Even up close, none of them could believe what they were seeing.

Pushing out of the ground, similar to the Glass Spires from just a short while ago, was a gigantic pillar of stone.

_The Glass Spires weren't anywhere near this big, though,_ Jiro thought grimly. Just as he'd finished thinking it, out of the corner his eye he saw- "There!" Jiro whirled, pointing. "It's another one!"

"Over there, too!" Marumaro pointed to one coming out of the water - that stone pillar was much farther away, but they were so big, they were easy to see even from that much distance.

Kluke held a hand in front of her mouth. "They're all over the place."

Bouquet stood up, next to Kluke. "What's happening?"

Shu gripped the mechat controls. "This has to be Nene's doing."

"Yes. It certainly seems that way." Jiro continued by saying, "But, that's exactly the question: What _is_ he doing?"

* * *

_**End of Rescue Arc**_

* * *

**Chapter 13 done! :D And also, as you've noticed, the end of the Rescue Arc, which were the first 13 chapters. As such, it's now time to reveal the slightly-but-not-exactly-complicated pairing list for **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_**.**

_**Pairings (ordered by primary)**_

**(final) Jiro x Kluke**

**(final) Shu x Sahlia**

**(final) Nene x Himiko**

**heavy Jiro x Bouquet (mostly one-sided on Bouquet's part, but sometimes goes both ways)**

**heavy Marumaro x Zola (mostly one-sided on Marumaro's part, but sometimes goes both ways)**

**medium Shu x Kluke**

**medium King Jibral x Zola**

**light Marumaro x Sahlia**

**light Marumaro x Bouquet**

**light Marutora x Zola (rare; only a temporary crush)**

**(hints) Shu x Bouquet (rare)**

**(hints) Jiro x Zola (currently planned, this only happens once, but more are possible)**

**Okay; there's the list. :) If you have questions about it, just ask me, and I'll try to explain it... Well, I'm quite pleased with this chapter, considering my long absence from the story - looks like I've still got it. ;D I did feel that some of the action scenes weren't very descriptive.. But, I've never been that good with action scenes. :P I know what's supposed to happen next, but I think I may end up having some transitional issues... Anyway, that's pretty much everything I need to mention. Please review if you can, and I'll try to update after 10 hits. See you soon! :D**


	15. Chapter 14

**Woo – next chapter of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** is UP! *cheers* I'm sorry it took me so long – things have been even more nuts than usual for me… But I'm ecstatic that I finally updated this, so for the time being, I won't bring all of it up in order to stay positive. ;) There are a couple things I'm going to mention – including some fantastic news concerning the Blue Dragon series – and this chapter is already huge as it is, so I'm going to cut straight to the review replies.**

**Ultimashadow & Kasumi Kusanagi:** Wow, here's a cool first – two people, one review. :D That's besides the point, though... To Ultimashadow: Thanks!! :D Odaiji ni (trans: bless you; literally, take care). Me too; I had a better plan initially for that conversation, which I forgot (what a surprise XP), but I think it turned out pretty okay for what it was. :) Wow, really? Oops... Wasn't really supposed to give that strong of an impression. *sweatdrops* It was supposed to be more of a friendship/brother-sister thing... But there _were_ supposed to be some light, subtle feelings on Bouquet's side anyway. ;) (_Jiro: Bouquet is _eleven_!!!_) (_Yes, dear, I know; besides the fact that _I_ wrote it down, you've yelled it right in my ear about twenty times._) (_Jiro: Bouquet is _eleven_!!!_) _(Twenty-one times._) Odaiji ni. Well... Like I told Kluke last time, some do. :P But, yes, she is going through a change, though it started a few years ago. But, hey, if Kasumi won't tell you what it is, I'm sure not going to and be responsible. XD A crush? :O No, no, not _really_... Not _necessarily_... Ah, well... What the heck - yeah, maybe just a little bit. ;) But, not completely – Jiro's the older one, so Bouquet would mostly be the one crushing on _him_. (_Jiro: *flushes* Hey, quit it!_) (_Now, now, Jiro, no need to be shy. XD_) (_Jiro:_ Really_ not helping right now._) When has he _not_ had one? XD But, yeah, I guess that's what could be called a big step in one's vocabulary. ;D (_Jiro: Don't encourage him! Do you have any idea how I've been trying to get him to _not_ say things like that?!_) (_Shu: See, Jiro? I told you there was nothing wrong with it! *oblivious*_) (_Jiro: *scream of frustration*_) Well, they're not exactly spires – there's a better description in the upcoming paragraphs of this chapter, so I'll just let your read that – but, otherwise, that's a very accurate description. ;) (_Right on target, Kyo; you took the words right out of my mouth. But, again, Ultimashadow is right about that..._) Odaiji ni. Oh, yes, plenty of fight scenes to come (some, in fact, just _might_ be happening this chapter). ;D Thanks again, Ultimashadow! :D To Kasumi: It was, wasn't it? :) But I guess I probably should've been more careful about _how_ cute I made it. *nervous laughter* It wasn't supposed to come off with that much Jiro x Bouquet this early on... But I'm thinking now that maybe I'll try to work with it. ;) Ah... Are you saying "some kind of change" because you don't know or because of your brother? XD Still, if either of you don't know, it's certainly not my business to tell you. ;) Yep, that he is. And unfortunately, I'm afraid to say he's far from done. No worries – after some of the stuff he's done, it's perfectly reasonable to have that kind of response. :P Yeah, I suppose it does, doesn't it? XD _Well_... Some things are better left to the imagination, Kasumi. XD (_Jiro: *shudders*_) Nene seems to have a habit of doing that. XP But, I'm sure Shu and the others will catch him eventually. :) As a matter of fact, for some things, I'm wondering that myself. ;) Still, I won't spoil the things that I do know... But a few things should start getting revealed as the chapters progress. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long, though. Thank you; sorry for the wait, but here it is! :D And to both of you: Bye! :D *wave* (To Ultimashadow: Odaiji ni.)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Thanks; I'm happy to have updated it, too! :D Thank you, though like I told Ultimashadow and Kasumi, that wasn't supposed to be that big of a Jiro x Bouquet moment. It's kind of complicated... But that's mostly because of the two of them won't tell me; Bouquet's too shy and Jiro keeps yelling at me that she's only eleven. :P Still, Shu uses profanity against his enemies all the time, doesn't he? XD Two certain words starting with "d" and "b" come to mind... But, yeah, I guess he's never gone that far before. I know; I haven't read them yet, but I saw from your reviews. I'm sorry that I haven't replied yet, either; things have been kind of crazy for me, so most of my free time has been dedicated to writing. I'll try to hurry and reply, though.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Glad to hear it. :D Ah... I discovered, thanks to this review, that this had been happening to everyone. *sweatdrops* I have a solution to the problem, though, so the poll should work fine now. :) Thanks for letting me know what your votes would've been, though – I think the one that ended up updated was Maple Leaf. And no spelling mistakes, by the way. :) I know the feeling. *sweatdrops* Really? *blushes* Th-thank you. :D (_Ah, Jiro, are you mumbling again?_) (_Jiro: *silently glares*_) *nods* Alright; thank you. :) Ah, eleven is the average? That's younger than I had thought. *nervous chuckling* But I guess that means that whether going by the game's ages or mine, we're both in the clear. XD Mm. *nods, holding in laughter* That's good; while I'm always worried about going too far, I'm equally worried that my stories won't pack enough kick. ;) Thanks for understanding, An... It means a lot. ;.; Yes, but you shouldn't worry; you've been having a lot going on lately, and whenever there are updates, the quality is so high that the wait is _way_ more than worth it. :) Thanks; it's always a little easier when you know you're not stuck in the infamous math boat by yourself. (_Jiro: Did you make that up?_) (_Erm... Honestly, I don't know. I might've heard it somewhere; my memory is so bad I don't even know. *sweatdrops*_) (_Jiro: *rolls eyes*_) Yeah, he won't help me, either. XP (_Shu: See, Jiro? I knew I'd get some of that adventurous spirit into you!_) (_Jiro: *sour look* Is that the part where one of your stunts gets me killed, or does that come afterwards?_) (_Shu: Huh? What?_) _(Jiro: ... Never mind._) That's what I thought when he said that, too; sometimes I really wonder where he gets this stuff from. XD XD XD (_Kluke: *sigh* Thanks..._) Oh, yes, I think they are, too. Absolutely. Definitely. Yep, very close... Episodes 34 in Season One and 41 in Tenkai were good examples of that (I loved the friendship scenes in those episodes, as well as finding out more about Bouquet's past in 34). :) It's just that Kluke and Bouquet (or at least, my version of her) in the game are much more docile than they are in the anime, so they'll be a bit more open about being friends (and hopefully get into less fights, excluding the normal bumps and strains that any friendships have). Oh... *sweatdrops* That's okay, though; I'd probably forget her age on an hourly basis if it weren't for the fact that a certain someone keeps yelling it in my ear. ;) Okay. Ah... Looking back on it, I probably should've realized you meant that one. *embarrassed blush* Ah. *nod* Anyways... Glad you like it! :D *blushes bright red* Thank you... :) Oh, and there should be a good deal of those things showing up again in this chapter. ;) Next millennium... I think that might've broken a record or two. XD XD Thanks; that was one of those numerous scenes that came upon me suddenly, so I'm happy to hear that you liked it (it might be a combination of the three... sorry; I'm not sure, either *sweatdrops*). :) Yes~! :D I was so glad to finally be able to tell everyone what the pairings are, even though I already knew. *sheepish smile* Alright; hang in there. I missed you, too; I'm sorry I've been taking so long, but I'm going to try to move faster. *hugs back* I'm glad to see you, too. :) Yeah, there has been... Perhaps even more since the last chapter; hard to say. I'm okay, though; things have been kind of nuts, but I'm doing pretty good. :) And I think I _will_ be okay, too, though it might be a while before I have more free time... Don't worry; I'll be fine. :) You already are helping, though. ;) You wouldn't believe how much your reviews, stories and messages have helped me out the past few months... Really, really helped. Again, don't worry; if there's anything else you can do to help, I'll let you know, but what you've already done has been more than enough. :)

**YuukixZero16-in-yellow:** Thank you! :D I'm glad; it was the most fun to write out of _Beyond's_ chapters until I wrote this one (fourteen), so it's great to hear that you loved it. :) *sigh* I know... Yep, definitely. XP I always figured that something like that would've happened to Kluke while they were traveling, but that it probably took place when it wasn't one of the main scenes, like when exploring the World Map or something. :P Thanks again; hope you enjoy this chapter, too! :D

**whitewolf105:** Yep! :D Finally, huh? XD No worries; I'm happy about it being back, too. :D I think I might've mentioned it once or twice (XD), but it's my favorite to write out of all of my fan fictions, so I'm definitely happy it's back. ;D Thanks! :D That a big relief; I thought I did a bad job with the action scene, so it's great news to hear that it came out okay. *sheepish smile* Yes. *sad nod* Glad to hear it; I love those pairings, too. :) You're welcome. :D Again, you're welcome. :) A-ah, w-wait, get up! *flails arms; blushes* Ah, I'm so embarrassed... Thank you, though. :)

**Shadow Koopa:** Thanks, and agreed! :D

**OceanLeviathan:** *blushes* Thank you! :D Good to know everyone's still in character, too. R-really? *blush darkens* Wow... Not including crossovers, there are 88 stories on this site, so that's pretty high praise! :D I do, too. :( Like I told Prince of Tennis' Shaman, whether you go by the game's ages or mine, Kluke is (unfortunately) old enough to have gotten hers. It is nice to see. :D I hadn't quite intended for that to happen... But the scene kind of waltzed into place without my knowledge. ;) Thinking on it a bit more, I think I might try to bring out that motherly side of Zola sometime on the future as well. Yeah, that's what I thought, too, so I figured I might as well put it in. XD That's good; I had worried a little that it might seem out of character, so I'm happy to hear it was the opposite. :) Me, too; most, if not all, of those are my favorite pairings. :D And I'm really looking forward to writing some of those scenes, too. ;D

**Inita:** Sorry for replying so late! I've had a lot going on, so I forgot that you'd reviewed this chapter... Anyway, thanks for letting me know; I can't wait to play it! :D I haven't seen the August release date, only the May date, but I haven't seen an English site yet, either, so... We'll just wait and see what happens. :) In any case, it looks we'll be seeing it pretty soon! :D

**Okay – review replies are done! :D As previously mentioned, the chapter is extremely long, and since I can't wait to tell it, I'll bring up the news now:**

**Three days ago, on the eighth, Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu was released in Japan! :D**

**I don't know if anyone else has yet, but I saw some new screenshots and artwork that was released the same day the game came out; it looks fantastic. :D Also, through some translation on my part, I uncovered a few things:**

*** I translated a new name being used for Ran: Chiffon.**

*** It seems like it's possible to combine item components to make things such as weapons and armor.**

*** There appear to be certain "quests" that you take on throughout the game... Whether these are just small side quests or if they're connected to the main story, or both, I'm not sure. From what I could tell (and I'm not **_**entirely**_** sure, because the translation was difficult), among these quests were helping Kluke to regain her power and heal a sick old woman she's concerned about, taking a mechat out for a test drive, helping Yasato clean up some junk around a house, Fushira going on some kind of adventure, and Shu's birthday coming up (meaning that Kluke and Sahlia are competing with each other to get him a present).**

*** And though the translation was rocky, I got the main meaning, which is that Sahlia's going to pop the big question: "Kluke, do you like Shu?"**

**Yeah... Looks like it's going to be one heck of a ride. XD Can't wait until they finish translating it. :D Anyway, I'll end up rambling about this game for hours if I don't stop now, so let me get to the other stuff I was going to mention. ;) First off – ranks, levels, classes, and accessories. Things I've completely forgotten to mention. XP I'm pretty sure that some of this stuff in my game is at least a little different than everyone else's, so I'm going to list it here, because it's going to start having a strong impact on the story; some skills will be especially key several chapters from now. Those who have played the game should recognize most of these things instantly, but for those who don't know/remember, just ask me and I'll explain. :) So, here it is:**

_Shu (Lv. 59):_  
Sword Master: Rank 36  
Guardian: Rank 37  
Monk: Rank 22  
Assassin: Rank 14  
Black Magic: Rank 20  
White Magic: Rank 36  
Barrier Magic: Rank 24  
Support Magic: Rank 8  
Generalist: Rank 35

_Shu has a combination of the following in his skill slots at all times, with the _Skill +-series _and_ Accessory +-series_ being constant; excluding the basic skill for each class, there are 10 slots available because of _Skill +7_._  
Magic Sword LV 6  
Guard  
Sentinel Shield  
Boost Max HP +25%  
Total Guard  
Berserker  
Meditation  
Battle Essence  
Ninja Swiftness  
Absorb MP  
Boost Max MP +25%  
White Magic LV 6  
Resurrection  
Magic Fence  
Skill +7  
Accessory +3

_Jiro (Lv. 59):_  
Sword Master: Rank 11  
Guardian: Rank 6  
Monk: Rank 22  
Assassin: Rank 37  
Black Magic: Rank 14  
White Magic: Rank 34  
Barrier Magic: Rank 50  
Support Magic: Rank 6  
Generalist: Rank 36

_Jiro has a combination of the following in his skill slots at all times, with the _Skill +-series _and_ Accessory +-series_ being constant; excluding the basic skill for each class, there are 11 slots available because of _Skill +8_._  
Magic Sword LV 2  
Meditation  
Critical Hit Lift  
Battle Essence  
Steal  
Stealth  
Negotiate  
Ninja Swiftness  
Treasure Hunt  
Regenerate MP  
White Magic LV 6  
Regenerate HP  
Resurrection  
Barrier Magic LV 6  
Field Barrier 3  
Magic Fence  
Distress Barrier  
Skill +8  
Accessory +3

_Kluke (Lv. 56):_  
Sword Master: Rank 33  
Guardian: Rank 15  
Monk: Rank 22  
Assassin: Rank 4  
Black Magic: Rank 37  
White Magic: Rank 9  
Barrier Magic: Rank 3  
Support Magic: Rank 36  
Generalist: Rank 36

_Kluke has a combination of the following in her skill slots at all times, with the _Skill +-series _and_ Accessory +-series_ being constant; excluding the basic skill for each class, there are 11 slots available because of _Skill +8_._  
Magic Sword LV 6  
Boost Critical Damage  
Absorb MP  
Sentinel Shield  
Boost Max HP +25%  
Meditation  
Critical Hit Lift  
Battle Essence  
Black Magic LV 6  
Boost Max MP +50 %  
White Magic LV 2  
Support Magic LV 6  
Spell Duration +50%  
Magic Essence  
Double-Cast  
Skill +8  
Accessory +3

_Marumaro (Lv. 59):_  
Sword Master: Rank 34  
Guardian: Rank 34  
Monk: Rank 35  
Assassin: Rank 20  
Black Magic: Rank 28  
White Magic: Rank 12  
Barrier Magic: Rank 6  
Support Magic: Rank 7  
Generalist: Rank 36

_Marumaro has a combination of the following in his skill slots at all times, with the _Skill +-series _and_ Accessory +-series_ being constant; excluding the basic skill for each class, there are 11 slots available because of _Skill +8_.  
_Magic Sword LV 6  
Mow Down 2  
Absorb MP  
Guard  
Magic Defense Up  
Sentinel Shield  
Boost Max HP +50%  
Endure  
Berserker  
Meditation  
Critical Hit Lift  
Charged Attack  
Battle Essence  
Absolute Counterattack  
Ninja Swiftness  
Boost Max MP +25%  
Skill +8  
Accessory +3

_Zola (Lv. 52):_  
Sword Master: Rank 32  
Guardian: Rank 1  
Monk: Rank 7  
Assassin: Rank 33  
Black Magic: Rank 16  
White Magic: Rank 15  
Barrier Magic: Rank 3  
Support Magic: Rank 32  
Generalist: Rank 32

_Zola has a combination of the following in her skill slots at all times, with the _Skill +-series _and_ Accessory +-series_ being constant; excluding the basic skill for each class, there are 10 slots available because of _Skill +7_._  
Magic Sword LV 6  
Mow Down 2  
Absorb HP  
Absorb MP  
Counterattack Boost  
Steal  
Negotiate  
Ninja Swiftness  
Long-Range Attack  
Treasure Hunt  
Regenerate MP  
Support Magic LV 6  
Spell Duration +50%  
Magic Essence  
Skill +7  
Accessory +3

_Accessories:_  
Shu: Magic Life-Crusher Bracelet, Crystal Ring, Diamond Earring, Ancient Sorcerer's Necklace, Stomach-Band, Gem of Jibral, Black Belt  
Jiro: Magic Life-Crusher Bracelet, Crystal Ring, Ancient Warrior's Earring, Diamond Necklace, Bow Tie, Leather Belt, Eyepatch  
Kluke: Grand Tribes' Bracelet, Shu's Ring, Crystal Earring, Crystal Necklace, Stomach-Band, Champion's Belt, Devee Idol  
Marumaro: Magic Life-Crusher Bracelet, Mirror Ring, Ancient Warrior's Earring, Ancient Warrior's Necklace, Belt of Hermes, Ballet Shoes, Leather Belt  
Zola: Magic Life-Crusher Bracelet, Royal's Ring, Platinum Earring, Ancient Warrior's Necklace, Leather Belt, Lei, Black Belt

**Whew! That's finally done. XD I've already written out Bouquet's stuff, but her skills and classes are supposed to be a surprise until we actually see her use her powers, so you'll have to wait a little longer to find out what they are. ;) Now, the next thing was... Oh, great, I forgot. XP Um... **_**Well**_**... I can't remember, so I'll just say one more thing about this chapter: I'm sorry about it being so long, but I really had no place to end it except for where I did. So... Enjoy, everyone! ;D**

_Chapter 14: Kakusei (Awakening)_

It was the scream that woke him, piercing through the dark of night, firing an instinctual alarm in his head. _Help him._

"Jiro! Where are you?!" Her voice, distant yet close, coming after the remnants of the scream have ebbed away.

Before he's even fully awake, he's jumped out of the bed, feet pounding against the wooden floor and propelling him forward. Swing open the door, and now he's running, running down the hallway. His body aches from the sudden, fast movement, but there's no time to stop, no time...

One more door to open, and then he's in the room. She spins around, warm brown eyes panicked, yet are flooded with small relief once she's seen him. And next to her is-

He's terrified. So very, very afraid. The younger's face is staring up at him, his limbs paralyzed with fear. The nightmare was obviously bad this time, but it could have been much worse. Much, much worse. He isn't still screaming, at least.

Seeing him like this... He thinks of his younger friend during the times that the sun is high in the sky, smiling and laughing and happy, and he can't help but wonder how many times he dies a little inside each day.

He and Kluke both hug him tightly, trying to offer what little comfort they can. A nasty little voice in the back of his head whispers, _But, you'll never _really_ make his suffering stop, will you?_ He tries to push it away, but it's laid out the facts, his own anguish, plain and simple, and there's no denying it.

Her voice comes to him unbidden - he can almost see her very close-to-black eyes and very dark brown hair as she tells him, _I always feel better when you're with him, because I know my Shu is safe with you._ He looks like her. He laughs like her. He has that same kindness inside of him that she had. He has her same courage, and that same will to not give up that they both inherited from Fushira. He's his mother's son, in every way.

It comes suddenly. The house rocks from receiving the brunt of the attack, and the three children hug each other even tighter than before, the youngest screaming, because in this instant, his nightmare has become reality.

The bell tolls in the distance, issuing its warning, but it's started far too late - the monster has caught the villagers unaware this time, and it plans to take complete advantage of that important detail.

Fushira rushes toward the children, but he isn't fast enough, either.

The Land Shark hits the house again - wood can be heard splintering, the sound of the first floor's wall being torn to pieces, a find to be made later - and the trio is thrown downwards by the force of it.

Before he hits the ground, before everything goes dark, it repeats in his head. _Don't let go, don't let go, don't let-_

* * *

He wakes up, gasping sharply, cheek pressed against a mechat cabin window; his hair is plastered wetly to his forehead by perspiration, and a cold sweat has started on the back of his neck. He's struggling to breathe, as if his head has been dunked under water for a prolonged period of time.

He presses the backs of his hands against his head, eyes firmly shut. _It's just a dream, Jiro. Nothing more than a memory._

He repeats it in his head, over and over again, until he's finally able to convince himself. But even that cannot make his rapid heartbeat slow.

* * *

The sun had gone down far enough for there to be a light touch of orange far off in the distance, but not enough for it to be considered a true sunset. Kluke couldn't help but think that it looked wrong, though. It couldn't possibly look right, if the horizon was being slightly obscured by a gigantic stone pillar.

They had decided it would be best to approach the pillars at their bases and investigate them - that hadn't done much good with the Glass Spires, but it wouldn't hurt to be safe, right? Besides... Though they had come out of the ground in a similar way, the pillars of stone were more than twice the size of the Glass Spires (in fact, closer to _three_ times the size), they were much wider, and also circular rather than the spear-like shape of the spires.

However... As they had come closer during their approach, they had discovered a rather disturbing detail.

Nearly each and every one of the pillars was near a village.

There were some exceptions, like the one that had come out of the ocean - but even that pillar was near the Sea Cube location. The others that were not close to a village were usually near some other specific location - for an example, the Lot Wilderness or Road to Jibral.

Shortly after finding this out, the exhaustion had become too much for Jiro and Bouquet - more so for Jiro, being a combination of the repeated barrier usage and the wound inflicted by Szabo - so after Kluke had bandaged Jiro's injury, he had headed down with Bouquet to the mechat cabin to get some rest.

Currently, they were flying to the nearest pillar, which also happened to be the one close to Talta Village. They weren't very far away - in fact, they'd probably be arriving in a matter of minutes.

Kluke sighed, leaning against the railing. They had failed - Nene had gotten away. Again. She supposed, that in a tiny part of her mind, she had known that he would, but it hadn't made her feel any better about his escape.

She looked off to the side, where Shu piloted the mechat. She could see it in the way he stared forward, the set of his shoulders - she'd known him far too long to miss it. _He's blaming himself for Nene warping away._ She wanted to talk to him about it... But knew that conversation was probably better saved for when things had calmed down a little more. _Besides, he'll never let me talk to him about it when Marumaro and Zola are in earshot._ A small sigh escaped her. _Boys..._

"Kluke," she nearly jumped at the sound of Zola's voice. "Are you alright?..." Zola discreetly gestured to her own stomach.

Kluke nodded and smiled. "Yes, I should be fine now." _At least, as fine as a girl can get when it comes to this..._

"You still seem like something's bothering you, though." Zola came over to stand next to her.

"It's just... Well, Nene, and... You know, him getting away and all." Kluke crossed her arms over her middle.

Zola placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him. It may not be as soon as we would have liked, but we will find him."

"Yeah... you're right." Kluke looked up at Zola, her expression softened with gratitude, and she'd opened her mouth to say something else-

"_Kluke_!" Shu yelled from the front of the ship, sounding alarmed.

She rushed to his side. "Shu, what-" But cut off as he pointed, and she saw.

Over Talta, like when they'd come back to the village after making it out of the Gul Mountains, the dark storm clouds and swirling sand had returned.

* * *

Bouquet woke up wincing, gingerly holding her hand - the last time Kluke had checked it, the burn was nearly healed, but it still didn't feel very good.

As the sleepiness faded, both her thoughts and eyes became clearer; looking around, the first thing she spotted was Jiro standing in front of a window, his hand pressed against the glass. But she nearly yelped when he said, "We're almost at Talta. I recognize the desert."

After recovering, she asked him, "How did you know I was awake?"

"I saw you waking up." He dropped his hand from the window, moving around to face her. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." As if on cue, Bouquet yawned. She smiled sheepishly afterwards. "Sorry."

Jiro shook his head. "It's fine. Go ahead and get some more rest. I think I'm going to go up to the deck, though. I just... need a little fresh air." His eyes seemed distant, uneasy. But he brightened for a moment as he walked over to the ladder, turning to her while saying, "I'll see you in a little while. If you need something, either come up or call one of us."

She nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Bouquet knew something was wrong. As soon as he'd started climbing the ladder, the troubled look had returned to his face. She knew she should have stopped him, talked to him. But, she was a shy person, and on top of that, she hadn't known him very long.

So she let him go. And felt all the worse for it.

* * *

He had only gotten his head above the hole connecting the deck and cabin when the wind hit him, an odd mixture of cold and hot - cool from the momentum, but warm from the climate. He closed his eyes, feeling more relaxed as some of the anxiety from the nightmare slipped away; he could almost smell the sand. _The smell of home._

"We can't do that, though!" Shu's angry voice broke through the short-lived reverie. "We have to find out what's happening there!"

He opened his eyes as Zola said, "We need to find out about the pillars as well."

"What's going on?" Jiro asked as he hauled himself onto the deck, standing and making his way over to them.

"Look!" Marumaro pointed downwards, in the direction of Talta, and Jiro saw what had gotten Shu so upset.

Jiro gripped the side of the mechat, expression grim. "This is bad."

"It has to be Nene," Kluke clasped her hands over her chest. "And that means that the monsters could have come back." She shook her head. "I agree with Shu. We should go and make sure everyone's okay."

"You know there are soldiers from Jibral stationed in the village, in order to help with the reconstruction; if it's just monsters, they can handle them." Zola reasoned.

Shu ground his teeth together. "I know, but..."

Kluke's hands tightened. "What if the Land Shark comes back?" Everyone went silent, save for Kluke when she continued. "When the pillars came out of the ground, there must have been an earthquake. There aren't any violet clouds, but what's to say that the Land Shark won't come anyway?"

"Why don't we split up?" Jiro suggested suddenly. "There are six of us - three could go to the stone pillars, and three could go to the village."

Shu grinned. "That's a great idea, Jiro!"

Marumaro put a finger under his chin. "But who goes where?"

Zola leaned down to him a little. "You and I can go with Bouquet to the pillars." She straightened again. "Shu, Kluke and Jiro are understandably worried about Talta, so it makes the most sense for the three of them to go there."

Shu nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"That's Maro's Lady Zola!" Marumaro smiled up at her.

"It was Jiro's idea..." Shu grumbled half-heartedly; he doubted that Marumaro would listen anyway.

Kluke dropped her hands from their previous position. "I'll go down to the cabin and tell Bouquet what's going on. That way it doesn't have to come as a surprise to her."

As Kluke started walking to the ladder, Jiro looked down at the village again. He tried to reassure himself that it was as Zola said - just monsters, and nothing more. But he couldn't completely push away the feeling that something was very wrong.

* * *

Several minutes later, Shu landed the mechat near Talta Village - he, Jiro and Kluke had disembarked, and then Zola took Shu's place piloting the ship. As the mechat started lifting, Bouquet waved to them from the railing, and the trio waved back, until the ship had gone too far to make out the details of a person.

As they walked to the village, Shu felt chilled despite the desert heat - like the day they'd come here from the Gul Mountains, he had that same sense of trepidation about what they would find. A fear of the unknown.

"It'll be nice to see everyone again, won't it?" Kluke kept her voice light, cheerful, trying to be encouraging. But even for someone who didn't know her,  
it was easy to hear the nerves underneath. "I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing Fushira, Shu... And you probably can't wait to see your mom and dad, Jiro..."

Two subjects skipped in an unsuccessful attempt at optimism: The likelihood of finding something horrible when they arrived, and the absence of two parents.

"Yeah." Shu nodded, but it seemed more like he was convincing himself rather than agreeing with her. Even if Kluke didn't (or couldn't), he could at least try to make himself believe it. "It's been a while since we've seen Grandpa and everyone else. They'll probably be glad to see us, too. I bet they missed us while we were gone. Right, Jiro?" Shu bumped Jiro's arm lightly.

"Huh?" Jiro had to bite down a snapping remark when Shu pinched his arm. He cleared his throat, tightly saying, "Um, yeah. Right."

Kluke sighed. "You two are horrible liars. Always have been." She smiled over at them. "But, you're kind liars. Thank you, Shu, Jiro."

Shu chuckled and scratched the back of his head, while Jiro looked down at his feet and blushed.

But both boys sobered when Kluke stopped and said, "We're here."

From this entrance, it was impossible to see the dark clouds that they'd seen from above - the stone walls blocked the village from view. If they wanted to, they could pretend that there were no gray clouds, no irregularly blowing sand. No darkness. But it would be nothing more than an illusion.

Shu broke the silence. "Let's go." He went forward, leading the way, as he always did. And though the responsibility was often heavy, he didn't mind, because it meant that neither Jiro nor Kluke had to bear the weight instead.

* * *

"Lord Nene... are you certain that is..." And it was here that Szabo wished he had the anatomy to swallow. "...wise?"

"Are you questioning me, Szabo?"

"Questioning?!" Deathroy pointed at the Mecha Robo general, tiny hand on his "hip".

He shakily slammed his fist to his chest. "O-of course not, Your Excellency! I... I will make the preparations immediately."

"Good." Nene faced away from him, reaching out his hand and shutting off the monitor just as the three young Shadow-wielders came into view.

"Good! Good!"

Szabo only had the chance to turn around before Nene added, "And, Szabo?"

"Y-yes, sir?" He prompted tentatively, rapidly replaying the last few minutes' conversation in his head for anything he could have done wrong. _Anything _else_, at least,_ he reminded himself harshly about the blunder of doubting Lord Nene moments before.

"You may also proceed with the _other_ preparations. Be certain that the orders are the same as the last ten years. And that the quantity is larger."

"Larger! Larger!"

"R-right away, Lord Nene!"

* * *

As soon as they were past the stone walls, Kluke coughed violently on some of the sand she had unintentionally inhaled.

"Careful." Jiro had his arm firmly pressed over his nose and mouth.

Still coughing a little, she said, "There wasn't _this_ much sand last time, was there?"

Jiro shook his head. "No. Something's happening." _Or it's already happened._ But he kept that particular thought to himself - he figured if Shu and Kluke were already thinking that, or even if they weren't, there was no point in him saying it out loud to worry them further.

"Come on," Shu pressed onward, shielding his eyes only enough to block the sand. "Let's find the villagers."

They didn't have to go very far. At the base of the stone staircase were the Jibral soldiers, researchers, and Blademasters, circled around the villagers of Talta.

Abandoning all caution of danger and safety measures for the sand, Shu dashed ahead. "Grandpa!!"

A Jibral Blademaster started saluting him, "Master Sh-" and broke off when the boy darted by him. After blinking his surprise, he straightened and saluted again when the two others approached. "Master Jiro, Lady Kluke."

"What's going on?" Jiro asked.

The Blademaster shook his head. "We aren't sure. We were rebuilding the village, as we were during your last visit, when these dark clouds appeared out of nowhere. At first, we thought it could be the Land Shark, but the villagers assured us that it's never come unless the clouds are violet."

Kluke coughed for a second, and then cleared her throat to speak. "Have any other monsters shown up?"

He nodded. "There was an instance where two Purple Skeletons appeared, but they were dispatched easily. There has been no other monster activity, despite the conditions being worse than when we came to clear out the monsters before." He spread his hands to his side. "We have no idea what's happening. Even the scientists are at a loss."

"Well, Jiro?" Kluke turned to him.

"I don't know. I guess we should be grateful that nothing's really happened except for the change in weather, but..." _Why is this happening? What_ is_ it that's happening?_ Too many questions, and no solutions. _No, there's a solution. There's always a solution. You just have to rack your brain and figure out what it is, Jiro._ He looked out at the village. _Though it would help if I knew what the problem was._

"Jiro, Kluke, why are you guys just standing there?!" Shu called to them. "Come on over!"

"Jiro?!" With the mention of her son, that was all it took for Jiro's mother to push through the guards.

Shu grinned as he watched Jiro get crushed in his mother's embrace. But that became replaced by a momentary look of confusion when he felt something tug on his sash. He looked down, and was met with Coluti's worried face staring up at him. "What's wrong, Coluti?"

"Shu..." The younger boy lowered his gaze to his feet, then lifted it again. "We... We're not going to have to leave Talta again, right? We're staying here for good this time, right?"

Shu struggled to push down the doubt that rose up rather suddenly, while also trying to hide that he was having that struggle in the first place. _Kluke..._ He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. _Was this how you felt, when Marumaro asked you if the Gabo Leaf would work?_ No wonder she'd been so upset that night - the feeling of disappointing the ones who have put so much faith in you... It was crushing.

Still, he managed a weary smile at Coluti. "Yeah, kiddo. We're not going anywhere."

By the end of the day, he would wish that he could have said it differently.

* * *

"Ow!!!" Marumaro fell onto his rear, holding his foot.

"Don't kick it, Marumaro." Zola traced her hands over the pillar, trying to find... something. Anything. There didn't _appear _to be anything out of the ordinary about it - if she hadn't seen it from the air, or hadn't watched it appear so suddenly out of the ground, she would have thought it to be a mountain that had been here for centuries.

Bouquet knelt down next to him, blushing about the fact that she was about to try and engage him in conversation (how was it that she, who had rarely spoke to anyone for any reason, had ended up doing that so much lately?), and wondering briefly if she had lost her mind. "A-are... A-are you okay?" She spoke so softly, if she hadn't been beside him, he probably wouldn't have heard.

"Yeah, Maro's fine!" The combination of him speaking in his normal loud volume, and that he had jumped up onto his feet, made Bouquet yelp loudly and fall onto her back. Marumaro leaned over her. "Hey, you okay?"

She got up shakily. "I-I... think so..." She straightened out her pigtails.

Zola sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "These things are nothing but giant rocks..." She spoke quietly, to herself. "What could Nene possibly be planning to do with them?..."

"What is it, Lady Zola?" Marumaro tilted his head to the side.

She shook her head. "It's nothing." She placed a hand on her hip. "Have you found anything?"

"No, but Maro will keep looking!" Not sounding disheartened in the least, Marumaro spun around and ran past Bouquet, nearly toppling her over for a second time.

After a moment of flailing her arms and regaining her balance, Bouquet clung tightly to the pillar, afraid to let go lest she fall. "H-he's nice... b-but just so... so..."

"Eccentric?" Zola offered, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Ah..." Bouquet smiled shyly. "Yes, I suppose so." She finally let go of the pillar, smoothing down the edge of her dress. "But... Why does he call you Lady Zola?"

"Well... To quote him, it's love." Zola looked up at the pillar.

"L-love?" Her eyes widened in surprise. She doubted that Marumaro was much older than herself, so that would likely mean near to a ten year difference between him and Zola. "A-and... Do you... feel the same way?" She didn't know why she even asked, but...

If Bouquet didn't know better, she would've thought that Zola's face seemed a slight shade redder than it had a second ago. "... Why don't you go see if Marumaro's found something yet?" Also if she didn't know better, she would have thought that Zola's voice sounded a bit uneven.

"Oh, um, right..." Feeling foolish and embarrassed, Bouquet turned around quickly, walking with rapid steps.

Though it was soft, she heard the reply. "We'll see."

After going for a few seconds, she took a chance to peer around the edge of the pillar - she saw that Zola had resumed moving her hands across the stone. But this time she did it smiling.

* * *

The Land Shark nightmares were always sudden, unexpected. That was part of what frightened him so much.

Sometimes he'd be awake in his bed, blankets pulled up to just below his nose, afraid to close his eyes. Afraid of what he would see. (But, of course, it had been impossible to keep them open forever.) Other times, he would actually get to have a normal dream first. (He'd never remember what they'd been about.)

He preferred the first way. He hated being lulled into a false sense of safety, only to have it violently ripped away.

But, whichever way it happened, it always came suddenly. Unexpectedly. Not unlike when the Land Shark came in real life. And it would leave him blindly grabbing for someone, someone to help him, and screaming just as desperately. He'd wondered often, if there hadn't always been either Jiro or Kluke to calm him, if he would have kept screaming without being able to stop.

As the years went on, he had the nightmares less and less. They never stopped - not entirely. But, he finally got to the point where they were rare (it would be a shock when he had them, but it was still obviously preferable to them being constant). From the ages of eight to ten was when they had really started to fade.

He'd been so relieved when they started going away, he couldn't even put it into words. He... He could actually sleep like a _normal_ person. It felt too good to be true. A miracle. The Land Shark would still be there when he woke up, but at least for a few hours at night, he could have peace.

No more Land Shark nightmares.

And here, now, at twelve years old, Shu wished that he was having one of those nightmares again.

He wished it wasn't reality.

* * *

Lau was the one who announced its presence, like he had during what everyone had later thought to be its last attack. "The Land Shark!!!"

Hoping that Kluke and Jiro would get out of the way, Shu dived to the ground, shielding Coluti underneath himself, knowing it had passed when he got showered with small rocks and dirt.

Lifting his head, he scrunched his eyes closed when some of the stuff fell from his hair and into his face. Brushing it away, he opened his eyes again and gasped. There wasn't just one, but several Land Sharks.

Standing up, he almost fell to the ground again as a certain something wrapped its arms around his waist. "Shu!"

Remembering the fact that Coluti hadn't gone up to the evacuation platform during the Land Shark's previous attack, as Shu also hadn't done himself, he knelt down and gripped the younger boy by the shoulders. "Stay back with the other villagers, Coluti. You hear me? Stay _back_!" Because he knew that this time, with this many, hiding behind rocks wouldn't save anyone.

Not having time to hear the reply, he got up and ran. Still, he heard his name get shouted once more. But, it didn't make him slow - it gave him purpose, a reminder of those he needed to protect, so it only made him go faster.

The soldiers, Kluke, Jiro and his mother all seemed to be alright, if not a little rattled. While Jiro tried to convince his mother to stay at a safe distance with the other villagers, Kluke stood and stumbled towards Shu. "How can this be happening...? It was supposed to be gone..." She murmured disbelievingly.

Shu shook his head. "It doesn't matter! The only thing that's important right now is getting rid of them!"

"But..." She started, but stopped when Shu gave her a look. She sighed. "Alright."

Shu looked over her shoulder. "Jiro, come on!"

"I'll be right there!" And then an insistent hand on his arm... "Mother, _please_. I have to help them. I won't let Shu and Kluke fight those things alone."

She started protesting. "But-"

"Natalie," Jiro's father stood apart from the villagers. His voice stood over the din of the storm. "Let him go."

When her hands reluctantly loosened, Jiro nodded to him. "Thank you." And to his mother, "I'll be back. I promise." He ran to Shu and Kluke without looking back. It would have been too hard to go otherwise.

When Jiro was with them, Shu nodded at both of his friends. "Okay, we're all here. Let's go-!" He had started running, but that came to an abrupt stop when Jiro grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Hang on a minute, okay?" Jiro let go of the black fabric. "We can't just go charging after them-"

"There's no time to sit around and wait, either! They're gonna destroy the village!" Shu argued.

"We need to think things through!" Jiro argued right back. _Why are we even _arguing_ about this?_

"Oh, right, because last time thinking things through-" Shu cut off abruptly. _Because last time thinking things through worked out so great._ He couldn't bring himself to finish it, not when they both knew the rest of it. Not after seeing the hurt in Jiro's eyes. Even if he hadn't said all of it, he wished he could take it back. _You stupid, stupid idiot... Can't you ever keep your mouth shut?_

After a short but very painful silence, Jiro forced himself to speak. "Last time was a failure. A miscalculation." _It was my fault._ "And that's why we have to try harder this time, to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Kluke glanced to the side. "We have a few minutes to plan; the Land Sharks are just circling right now." Then looked to him, "What do we do, Jiro?" She hoped that she could convey in her voice, in her eyes, the complete trust she had in him (she couldn't make up for not doing that the first time, but she could make it count now). Shu spoke without thinking sometimes - she knew that, and so did Jiro, even if he had been hurt by the words. But, if someone believed in him, that could be enough.

And she was right. "We should fight them one by one, instead of taking all of them on at the same time." Jiro spoke with renewed vigor and determination. Strategy was his element, and he thrived in it. "Shu, do you remember the weak spot on the Land Shark that I pointed out to you last time?" When Shu nodded with an affirmative noise, he continued, "Use Windus Sword on that area; give it everything you've got. Kluke, all you need to do is charge a Windus spell - that should hit not only the weak spot, but the rest of it, too." He placed a hand over his chest. "I'll back up both of you with White Magic and Barrier Magic." He lowered his arm. "Any questions? Or... Did I miss anything?"

"We'll just think on our feet if that happens." Shu rubbed his nose.

Kluke rolled her eyes. "Hopeless." But the sudden lightening of her mood dissipated with the more pressing issue. "Let's go, guys!" She took off toward the Land Sharks.

Jiro had started following her, but stopped when something held him back - once again, a hand on his arm. But, this time, a smaller hand.

Shu swallowed, but his throat stayed just as dry. "Jiro, I..."

"Don't." He interrupted. "You were right. The only thing that happened was that you said it."

"No!" Shu saw how he'd shocked Jiro with the loudness of his voice, so he did lower his tone. But he refused to let it go. "I shouldn't have started saying it, and I wasn't right. What happened with the Land Shark last time wasn't your fault. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine - I needed to do more damage to it. But... It doesn't even matter now. The village is in danger, and keeping it safe is what's important." He took a deep breath, lowering his head. "But... I'm sorry, Jiro. Even if I didn't say all of what I was going to, I shouldn't have said it in the first place. So, I'm sorry..."

But he yelped in indignation when Jiro ruffled his hair and told him not to worry about it. Shu promptly yelled at him to stop treating him like he was still five years old. Though he swore at two intervals.

"Come on, Shu," Jiro tried, but couldn't keep the grin off of his face. "We should get going."

With that, Shu nodded, and both boys took off, toward the landscape of churning Land Sharks... with Kluke on the side, looking at them, hand over her mouth, doing a horrible job of hiding her giggles. With her holding back laughter and the Land Sharks in the background next to her, it was an odd picture, to say the least.

Shu flushed bright red, then stomped past them, unable to look either Jiro or Kluke in the eye.

When Kluke caught up to him, Shu immediately spoke. "Don't say it."

"Aw, but Shu, that was so cu-"

"Don't say it."

"But, Shu, you and Jiro were really-"

"_Don't say it_."

"It's just like the old days when-"

"I said, don't say it!" He hurried forward. He didn't know if he'd ever been so eager for a battle than he was right now.

Kluke rushed after him, laughing. _He's _way_ too easy to tease._

But her mirth was immediately pushed to the side in favor of more focused and serious feelings. Battle required concentration, after all.

When they were close enough, Shu brought out his Shadow and jumped at the Land Shark, bringing his hand down in a Windus Sword. From a distance, Kluke charged her own Windus and Jiro stood ready to bring up a Shield-series spell for any retaliation.

All three of them were soon surprised - they hadn't realized how strong they'd gotten. They defeated the first Land Shark quickly, and with little incident. Shu had gotten hit once, but it barely gave him a scratch, if even that; the injury had been so insignificant that Jiro didn't even need to heal him. Soon they were moving onto the next Land Shark, and then another, and another...

"I can't believe how easy this is." Kluke leaned on her knees, catching her breath; she had charged a Windus a little longer than normal, and the extra effort had made her slightly tired. Shu was using another Windus Sword to finish off the Land Shark that currently held their attention, so there wasn't any rush for her to assist. "I mean, a while back, we would have never imagined this was possible."

"We've been through a lot since then." Jiro replied, focus split between her and keeping an eye on Shu in case he needed any assisting spells. "And it helped to make us stronger."

Both of them snapped their heads forward at the sound of a crash - another Land Shark defeated. Shu turned, grinning, and gave them a thumbs up.

Kluke chuckled incredulously. "He's something else, isn't he?"

But both of them noticed, albeit confusedly, when Shu's expression changed. First it was surprise.

And the second was terror.

"_Jiro_!!_ Kluke_!!" He ran as fast he could, wishing his legs were longer (in reality, it wouldn't have helped, but he was far too panicked for reason).

Jiro's eyebrows furrowed. "Shu-" And then he felt it, and knew what was wrong.

Kluke turned just as Jiro screamed, hand stretched towards her, falling into the sinking sand that some hidden Land Sharks had made.

She reacted quickly, not even really thinking about it, and grabbed him by the wrist. (Having bested the Land Sharks moments before or no, she would not lose someone else she cared about to these monsters.) When she had a firm grip on him, she smirked, saying, "Guess I'm returning the favor, huh?"

In spite of everything, Jiro laughed while she pulled him up. In a second, they were sitting on flat sand, catching their breath.

A sudden thought occurred to her. _Just now... I pulled up Jiro all by myself, easily. But back when I slid down the incline, when I had the collar on... Jiro tried to pull me up, but Shu had to help him, and even then I still slid a little. So... Does that mean I'm heavy?_ Mortified, she pushed the thought out of her mind... But actually, secretly, just filed the thought away for later analysis.

All of this came to stop, however, when Jiro took in a breath quickly, sounding as if he were in pain. She snapped her head up, saying his name, and gasped harshly at what she saw.

Jiro held his arm over the bandage she had put on, where through the spaces between his fingers she could see the red-stained white. On the arm that _she_ had pulled.

Tears pricked her eyes. "Jiro..."

He chuckled sheepishly. "Guess this is what I get for reaching out with that arm, huh?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" She would've smacked his arm if it weren't already injured. _And you helped_ so_ much with that, didn't you?_ "I should check-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as Jiro rushed forward and pushed her to the ground, covering her with his arms as dirt rained down, coming from where a Land Shark had pushed through the earth.

Jiro helped her to sit up, arms wrapped around her loosely. "Kluke, are you alright?"

She nodded. "I think so. Thank you." A small smile lit up her face, but that vanished when she cried out in fear as another Land Shark pushed out of the sand.

Jiro held her tighter, feeling a little embarrassed about how close they were, but there was little time to dwell on it when it suddenly dawned on him what was happening. _They're cornering us..._ Just as he'd thought that, it seemed to be further emphasized as another Land Shark appeared, joining the others in circling around the two of them.

Suddenly there was a loud crash from above them.

"Did you hear that?" Kluke looked to the mountains, trying to find the source of the sound.

"I did, but what was it?" Jiro joined her searching. He couldn't place it, but the sound had somehow seemed familiar... Like a dream just out of reach of his remembrance...

At that moment, their attempts to find what had made the noise were halted when one of the Land Sharks got especially close, causing them to pull back and unwillingly lower their gazes.

Through a space in the passing Land Sharks, they saw Shu take a step back, followed by another. And then he charged toward them.

Both of them shot forward, shouting at the same time. "Shu, don't!"

At first, they thought they might've been wrong. At first, it seemed like he was going to make it to them. One more step-

Before his heel had even touched the ground, he was thrown onto his back by another sudden appearance of a Land Shark. Call it luck or miracle, but he just narrowly escaped - after all, that was how the Land Shark killed people (and he knew about that all too well).

Distantly hearing Jiro and Kluke call for him again, Shu groaned, flipping himself over and off of his back. His head was swimming; he didn't even know if he could get up. He laid on his stomach for a second or two, and then pushed himself up onto hands and knees. Once he was sure that he wouldn't fall flat on his face, he moved around so he faced in the direction of the Land Sharks again, then slowly started heading that way.

He hadn't gone very far when the same sound that Jiro and Kluke heard happened again - right behind him. In fact, he _felt_ it more than heard it; he could feel the reverberations of it even through the sand.

Jiro gaped at the thing that had appeared. "... What _is_ that?"

But Kluke knew what it was. Oh, yes, she knew. She also knew that it was far too close to Shu (he had to get away from it, he _had_ to). She had only seen it for several seconds, but she remembered it well. Green and dark gray metal shaped into an imitation of a bird; in the place of eyes a very familiar symbol of the Ancients...

There was only one word that could really sum it all up, one word that she could really tell him that would explain it all. And, in a whispery, tight voice, she said it. "Nene."

* * *

When the pillar started shaking, Bouquet screamed. "Zola!!"

"Lady Zola, what's happening?!" Marumaro backed away from it, pulling Bouquet with him by the hand.

Zola had been on the other side of the pillar, but she was fast - always - so she reached them in no time. "Are you two alright?!"

Bouquet nodded shakily. "I think so, but-"

And just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

Once more, it trembled briefly, almost as if exuding a sigh. Just as the three of them noticed some cracks in the stone a bit above their heads, those very cracks crumbled away to reveal a round, glowing white light.

"What is it?" Bouquet whispered.

"It's shiny!" Marumaro's voice was much louder, however.

The color of the light changed suddenly, to a pale yellow.

Bouquet gasped in awe. "Oh!"

"But, why did it change?" Marumaro stood akimbo.

Zola was about to add something to the not-quite-conversation when the color changed for a third time - now it had turned purple.

Marumaro scratched the pot on his head. "Why's it keep doing that, huh? Why's it keep doing that?"

And finally, in one last change, the glow vanished, leaving a clear, almost-crystalline orb there.

Zola reached up and grabbed hold of it, giving it a slight tug; since it seemed loose enough, she pulled a little harder until the stone was free of the rock. She held the orb in front of her, lowering her fingers so the three of them could get a better look.

"How come the light went away?" Marumaro asked.

Zola shook her head. "I don't know."

Bouquet straightened. "What should we do with it?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet, but I have somewhat of an idea." Zola looked to the side.

Marumaro swayed from left to right. "What is it, Lady Zola? Maro wants to hear it!"

"We'll bring it to Jibral - while they may not be able to figure what _exactly_ it is, the researchers at Jibral's lab can likely come to a solution of what it _could_ be. And once they do find out at least that much, we'll be one step closer to finding out more about the stone pillars."

"Great!" Marumaro jumped, making Bouquet yelp (it seemed to become more apparent with every passing minute that it would take some time for her to get used to his exuberant behavior). "But what now?"

Zola placed her hands on her hips. "For now, we'll board the mechat and go to Talta Village. We should see if the others have discovered anything yet."

* * *

Low chuckling, and then that chilling voice the three of them had come to know and despise. "Where will you run this time, boy?"

"Where will you run?! Where will you run?!"

Shu cursed him in his head; Nene knew that he wouldn't leave without everyone, but it wasn't possible for Shu to warp _all_ of them away, and the Ancient was taunting him with it.

"What are you up to, Nene?!" Jiro shouted at him.

Nene shook his head. "Such foolish children. The answers always lie in front of them, and yet they always remain blind."

Deathroy pointed to where the Land Sharks surrounded Jiro and Kluke. "Always blind!"

Shu tried to sit up; everything spun. "You're the one that's foolish, talking about crazy things all the time and never making any sense!"

More chuckles. "Honestly, I don't think you're one to talk. But that's not even taking into account your intelligence, or lack thereof," the Squishtrich foot lifted. "Rather, the difficult position that you've just unwittingly fallen into."

The dread hit all three of them at the exact same moment, that impending doom one feels when they know they should've seen something coming, but it's too late to do anything about it now. But for Kluke and Jiro, they were weighed down with an additional feeling, of guilt.

And, then...

Then Kluke screamed, screamed like her life depended on it. And maybe it did. "_Shu, get up_!!!"

Several months later, looking back on it all, Shu could never be entirely certain where he got his sudden strength from. But he always liked to think that it was because of Kluke.

But, for now, in the present, he sprung to his feet and sprinted as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

The metallic bird's foot came down where he'd been only seconds before; it didn't hit him, but it was enough to throw him. His stomach ached from the hard connection to the ground.

He only needed a second to recover, maybe two. But it was a second too long.

Shu looked up just as the lifted foot started coming down. He heard Kluke scream in the distance.

The foot connected.

Kluke looked on in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't happen. Not to him. Not him... Not their Shu. Not her Shu. "Shu..." Her voice had gone hoarse from yelling.

Jiro suddenly held her by the arm gently, eyes never leaving the scene that was occasionally obscured by a Land Shark, his other hand clutching his sweater at the location of his heart. "Not yet." _We would feel it._ Kluke knew what he'd meant without him even having to say it.

And less than a second later, he was proved right.

The bird's foot moved up slightly, just barely noticeable. Then it happened again, but much more noticeable this time. "_What_?" Nene's voice was a mixture of incredulity and indignation.

The foot came up the rest of the way in a sudden, powerful shove; the Dragon roared as it held up the metallic appendage, blue wings spread out wide. And though incredibly exhausted, its wielder still managed a wide grin. "You need to find some new tricks, Nene." Shu couldn't help goading him. _Now let's see who likes getting taunted!_ He felt rather smug, actually.

He shouldn't have. Maybe if he hadn't, Nene wouldn't have found a reason to take him down a peg. Maybe he wouldn't have found a reason to hurt Shu so badly.

"I suppose you think you're rather clever, boy," he started. "But it reminds me that we haven't had a _real_ chat in quite some time. Tell me, did you enjoy that nightmare I sent you?"

Deathroy only laughed, laughing too much to even mimic.

The Dragon cried out as its hands slipped from lack of concentration, barely managing to keep the foot up; the poor Shadow almost seemed confused, not understanding why its wielder had lost all of his will for that split but important second. Shu let out a choked gasp. "What... What did you say?" He hadn't thought he would actually be able to say it; his throat was so constricted, more than it had ever been in his whole life.

"Why, of course," this obviously caused Shu great suffering, and so it was equally obvious that this fact pleased Nene immensely. "Surely you must have seen it. I took great care with its delivery, as I did with the others."

His Shadow's grip loosened again, and it cried out accordingly, but Shu didn't rush to correct it. He wouldn't have really cared if the foot came down on him and flattened him into nothing. He felt numb. _As I did with the others._ He couldn't be hearing this. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't possible.

And yet, since that faithful Land Shark attack, he had seen and been proof of the impossible. After everything he'd encountered, everything he'd done, could he _really_ call such a small thing impossible?

"You..." Kluke had stood at some point, and now, though trembling, looked at Nene with such hatred that Jiro almost flinched away. Almost, if not for the fact that he felt the same way. "All of those years... And those days in Devour Village..." Images flashed in her mind's eye; a young Shu staring up at her with big, frightened, pleading eyes; squeezing his hand in dim candlelight, while knowing she could do nothing to stop the nightmares that had tormented him throughout his coma. "It was you... You did this to him..."

_It was you that put him through so much pain. It was you that made him suffer._ Neither Jiro nor Kluke said these exact words, but they screamed in both of their throats, clawing and burning to be let out and set free.

Then Kluke called Nene a name that Jiro had never thought she would ever say, one that Shu used often - Jiro couldn't really blame her, not when he himself wanted to call Nene a number of unprintable names that even Shu didn't use - and without waiting, charged through a gap between the Land Sharks. And despite it defying logic, defying reason, Jiro was right behind her.

In an instant, before the trio had time to register it, Nene had jumped from the cockpit and onto the bird's head - the sudden lack of pressure had made Shu stumble in surprise and fall right down, the Dragon unsummoning unintentionally. Even more worrisome: Chimera was out and ready to strike.

Still moving fast, in almost-irony, Nene used the first Black Magic spell they'd ever witnessed, which had been when he used it on them before they even had their Shadows.

Groundus.

But, Nene had gotten younger since then. He'd gotten stronger.

Somehow, he managed to cause the earth to spring up at an angle, so much so that it sent Jiro and Kluke flying backwards, hitting the sand hard.

"Kluke! Jiro!" Shu only looked to his friends, seeing nothing else. A costly mistake.

It struck him from the side - if he hadn't had the Dragon's strength, if he had been normal and without a Shadow, the Land Shark would likely have killed him. He felt and heard an awful crack as his head struck one of many the rocks strewn about Talta's sandy ground.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Nene about to stomp him with his machine.

But the attack never had a chance to finish.

A sound echoed through the air, metal meeting metal - at the end of it, the Squishtrich staggered back and to the side. The leg on the same side as the foot that had tried to crush Shu a second before was now bent. For once, Nene almost looked surprised. Shu tried to find what had done this, looking to the right-

A gloved hand tightened around a long hammer handle; the owner of hand and hammer spoke in dangerously low tones. "Get away from my grandson."

"Grandpa!" Shu's voice was tinged with both gratitude and fear; he didn't feel very comfortable having the last surviving member of his family so close to Nene, especially since said Ancient had been the one who killed the rest of them in the first place.

In the distance, he noticed that all of the Land Sharks had either gone underground or left. A bit further, he could see Jiro's parents kneeling in the sand; his father tended to Kluke, while his mother cradled her son in her arms. Both of his friends were unconscious, and it made his heart burn with anger. True, with the revelation of the source of his nightmares, Shu felt like he'd been hollowed out inside, but that had done nothing to quell that ever going flame of hatred for Nene.

"What do you think you're doing, old man?" Nene eyed Fushira with contempt.

"Old man! Old man!" Deathroy seemed abnormally angry.

"Ha!" Shu's laugh was biting and bitter, failing to conceal the harshness; if not for the voice, he would've sounded like someone else, and it scared him. "That's really rich coming from you." _He isn't called an Ancient because he was born yesterday._ When he looked to his grandfather, his tone and eyes softened. "Grandpa, you need to get out of here."

Fushira shook his head, leaning against his hammer. "I lost my daughter to him, and my son-in-law. I won't lose my grandson, too."

"Grandpa..." Shu barely croaked it out, his hand aching to reach up and wipe away the tears he felt building.

It was in the next moment that Shu would discover that Jiro had woken, and just in time - to give him a warning. "Shu, Fushira, get away from there!!"

The next few things happened blindingly fast. Fushira spun around, only to see a Land Shark charging right towards him. And then a small, familiar something shoving him out of the line of fire, sending the two tumbling in such a way that it became difficult to tell if the sky was up or down, and bumping painfully into several rocks of varying size in the process.

At the end of it, Fushira was left on his back, loosely holding his hammer (somehow, he'd managed to hang onto it), having great difficulty with breathing. It took him a minute before he even realized the dark gray thing in his line of vision was the sky.

A faint moan called his attention to the left, where he felt his blood run cold when he saw the red trail across his grandson's forehead.

Shu opened his eyes then. "Grandpa..." His voice was scratchy, but he spoke through it. "Grandpa, run..." He reached out his hand and took hold of Fushira's, squeezing weakly. "Please..."

Fushira looked at him, seeing both Shu and Naomi. _A parent shouldn't have to bury their child,_ he thought. _But I never even got the chance to._ The Land Shark had done it for him. He squeezed back with much more strength than Shu had, and his voice was just as strong. "No."

The two of them heard the sound of the Squishtrich's approach, and the agonized look that Shu gave his grandfather confirmed this. Fushira bolted into a sitting position and scooped up his grandson, scrambling backwards even as the robot bird came closer. Shu let out a pained whimper, and both realized at the same time that he was hurt much worse than either had thought.

Nene shook his head in mock sympathy. "Such a touching moment... which, unfortunately, must come to an end."

Even from far above their heads, the quickly descending light was bright enough to make all three of them lift their heads at the same time, as if being pulled up by puppet strings. It made Fushira wonder if, in fact, the Land Shark had actually killed them and this was the end of it all. But as it got closer, the light seemed too small for that.

For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was. A ball of light... A sphere...

A voice. "Swallow the sphere."

Nene looked well and truly shocked, so much that he could barely form words. "What... How..."

From the distance, they had heard it, and it made Kluke gasp. "Jiro, the Light Sphere voice-"

"I know." He said quickly, quietly, eyes trained on the scene in front of him. "The voice is different." A softer voice, a more feminine voice. The other voice, despite his now-discarded theory of it being Nene, had sounded like a woman, but this one sounded even more female. _Has the voice changed... or is it a new one?_

Fushira lifted his hand slightly, looking at it with astonishment. "What..."

Again, the voice said, "Swallow the sphere."

"Grandpa..." Shu started, but was unable to continue. What could he say? What _should_ he say? Swallow it? Don't swallow it? He knew what it did - it would give Fushira a Shadow. But was that really a good thing? Would it be a good thing if he had the same incredible power, the same overwhelming responsibility, that had been shoved onto Shu and his friends, that had been both a blessing and a curse?

But something occurred to Shu just then. Maybe, when presented with this choice, it was something that the individual had to decide for themselves.

Fushira took hold of the Light Sphere. "I..."

"Swallow the sphere," but the voice added something this time, "and save your grandson's life."

Fushira's hold tightened on it; he didn't know if he should trust the voice or not, but with that additional bit of motivation, he knew he wasn't going to take the chance that it was wrong.

He brought it to his mouth and swallowed. He grabbed his throat, grimacing as it burned, though not nearly as much as his grandson had done in what seemed like both a long and short time ago. It reminded him a bit of how strong alcoholic drinks burned, especially when the drinker was unused to it, but on a much more intense level.

Shu gasped as he saw Fushira's shadow grow, starting to change from black to blue, before pushing off of the ground, taking shape and giving a loud, almost chirping-like, cry.

Shu looked at it in a state of stun as several moments passed, before finally finding his voice. "It's... It's a _mushroom_."

"It's a rafflesia." Jiro muttered loudly, eyebrow twitching, feeling distinctly offended on behalf of the parasitic flowering plant. He knew that if you walked up to someone and asked what a rafflesia was, most people would look at you as if you were on special level of crazy, but that did nothing to stop the fact that it bothered him. He was nothing if not well learned.

"It's a _mushroom_." Shu repeated, sounding as if he were trying to wrap his mind around it.

"It's a rafflesia!" Jiro snapped.

Kluke only sighed, rubbing her temples, already seeing the signs that this would be something that happened regularly.

Shu finally blinked, which he hadn't done since Fushira's Shadow had appeared. "It's a _mushroom_."

"It's a rafflesia!!"

Fushira stood, eyes trained on the sky. "You told me to swallow it? Fine! I've done it! Now, how do I use it?!" He was met with nothing but silence. "Answer me!"

Shu swallowed, standing up next to his grandfather. "It's a _mushroom_."

Jiro started yelling again. "It's a - oh, forget it." He pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes scrunched shut.

Kluke gave him a sympathetic pat on his good arm. "That's Shu for you."

Keeping the same position, he mumbled a very, very truthful, "Don't I know it."

Shu finally shook off his daze, then responded to Fushira's questioning of the apparently absent Light Sphere voice. "Grandpa," he was relieved when his grandpa looked down from the sky. This would be incredibly difficult to explain, but he was certainly going to try. "The magic responds to feelings, to emotions. You'll know what your Shadow can and can't do; you'll know it in here," he placed a hand over his heart. "If you focus on what you want to do, and make sure to move with your Shadow, it'll happen." He held back a sigh. _Jiro could've explained it better._

Fushira squinted at the ground with an intense concentration that Shu recognized, that same concentration his grandfather would have when he worked on an important project that had no room for error. He lifted his gaze to Shu again, nodding. "I think I understand."

He closed his eyes for several moments, almost as if he were waiting for something, then opened them again when he seemed to have found it. Fushira stared at Shu, then reached out, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said, "Give him strength."

The Shadow let out another almost-chirp cry, then threw it hands forward. Shu winced away from the sudden orange-red light that engulfed him without warning, but once it had disappeared, the Dragon had come out with a powerful roar, and he was left looking at his hands in wonder. "Woah... My... My power, it's..." The aches and pains still remained, but he'd never had so much energy before.

"I did what you said," Fushira smiled at him. "And it seemed to work. It was almost like something told me that it would give you your strength back."

"That's enough!" Nene, finally snapping out of it, shouted at them in the manner of one who's rapidly losing control of a situation. "It is time for this to come to an end!"

"Come to an end!"

"Well, Shu," Fushira smirked. "What to do you say we show him what happens when you mess with our village?"

Shu blinked his surprise, then let a grin grow across his face. "Right!"

Shu drew his fist back, his Shadow imitating his movement, then threw the punch, hitting the leg that hadn't been dented, causing it to bend so greatly that it nearly snapped clean in two.

His mouth hung upon for a few seconds, then closed when he abruptly turned, jumping and yelling, "Hey, Jiro, did you see what Grandpa's cool mushroom Shadow helped me do?!"

Mentally thinking that it was a rafflesia, Jiro clamped down on a swear, then thought wearily, _Is it any coincidence that in the last several days, all of the times that I came close to cursing, or the one time that I did, were somehow because of Shu?_

Kluke dropped him a knowing wink. "And we all thought it was _him_ imitating _you_."

"You did a fine job of imitating him yourself just a few minutes ago." Jiro said without missing a beat.

Kluke's shame showed itself in an embarrassed reddening of cheeks; she looked away from him and said nothing more on the matter.

A few more Rafflesia-enhanced punches left the Squishtrich in rotten shape; Nene seemed like he was going to have a difficult time getting away, let alone fighting against them with the bird.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way." Nene growled under his breath.

"Get away! Quickly, quickly, quickly!" Deathroy urged.

He remembered the last time Deathroy had said that exact same thing, and considering how narrow of an escape he had made, thought that it would probably be wise to this time take his good friend's advice to heart.

He pressed a button on the control panel, leaping from the cockpit just as it fell to the ground. He landed a short distance away, making sure to put a decent amount of space between himself and the other two.

Shu started towards him. "You're mine!!"

And then was abruptly and sharply yanked back by Fushira as something moved in front of them very, _very_ fast, obscuring Nene from view. Once it had passed, they discovered Nene was gone, and looking up, they saw the other variety of mechat and knew how he'd gotten away.

Shu sunk to his knees and swore viciously. Of all the stupid... How? _How_? How had he gotten away _again_?! _Because you let him get away again, moron,_ he answered his own unspoken question. He didn't care if anyone told him otherwise later; it was his fault and he'd already decided to be unmovable about it.

Fushira's hand rested on Shu's shoulder. "Come on, Shu. We should..." He trailed off. When Shu turned to him questioningly, he saw that his grandfather's gaze was focused upwards. He lifted his eyes as well and saw...

At first, only a small hole appeared in the dark gray. But, soon, there were more and more, and larger ones, until finally, the sky had become blue once again. The sun shone brightly on the village, seeming brighter than it had for over ten years.

* * *

"Zola, look!" Bouquet hung off the side of the mechat rail, pointing toward the village.

Zola's eyes followed the direction indicated by the younger girl's finger, narrowing to get a better look, then widening as she saw the other model of mechat flying out of Talta, before disappearing in bright blue light. "Well, I guess we know how things went with Shu, Jiro and Kluke."

"We still gotta find out if they're okay!" Marumaro piped up.

"Right," Zola nodded, then pushed the controls forward, accelerating as much as possible. "Hang on!" _Please, don't let us be too late._

As Zola started setting down the mechat in the middle of the village, they were relieved to see that the dark clouds were gone. However, that didn't mean they were going to let their guard down so soon; the others could still be in danger.

After the ship had landed, the three of them immediately jumped out and ran. Zola started to move at a less urgent pace, however, when she heard faint laughter.

When they'd gotten close enough, they soon saw everyone - Jibral soldiers, Blademasters and researchers reclining against the stone steps, and in the sand sat all of the villagers, practically circled around a very familiar trio.

Marumaro and Bouquet's mouths hung open for a short period of time before snapping close, both of them having relieved grins on their faces, simultaneously shouting as they started heading forward. "Shu-!!"

Zola grabbed both of them by the wrists, and they were stilled by the fact that she wore a rare, but genuine smile. "Just give them a few minutes."

So, they waited, listening in on the cheerful conversation...

* * *

Meanwhile, Shu found himself offering up several silent prayers that Zola, Marumaro and Bouquet weren't anywhere near here. If they were, surely he would die several painful deaths caused by embarrassment.

Not _quite_ oblivious - that gleam in his eyes tended to give him away - Jiro continued the retelling of several stories that were well known in Talta, in a successful attempt to cheer everyone up, and also for the benefit of the Jibral natives. "... Then there's the time that Shu tried to eat soap. Which really wasn't such a bad thing, in hindsight, since the suds ended up all over the house, and the only real way to get rid of it was to scrub it up, and therefore clean the entire house with it."

"Ended up cleaner then it had been years before and years since!" Fushira laughed heartily.

_Traitor,_ Shu thought sulkily.

"Then there was another time," Jiro continued, "that Shu purposely hung himself on one of the windmill vanes by his shorts."

Kluke chortled uncontrollably. "And he had the little audacity to say it hurt every time he went past!"

"It's worth mentioning that _you two_ didn't help me get down, or barely even listen to me, because you were laughing for _over fifteen minutes_!" Shu snapped acidly.

"And there's everyone's favorite," Kluke picked up, wiping away laughter tears and pointedly ignoring when Shu glowered at her. "Which is when Shu decided to parade himself around the village completely naked-"

"And I'll kindly remind you that I was just a baby!" Shu all but shrieked, flushing in mortification as just about everyone howled with laughter.

She wagged a finger at him. "Now, now, Shu. Would you really call someone a week shy of their second birthday a baby?"

"I would and will if you're gonna keep cracking jokes at my expense!" He answered hotly.

"Technically, at that stage, you would call a person a toddler." Jiro supplied cheerfully.

"Jiro, that is _not_ helping." He ground out through clenched teeth.

"Come on, now, Shu, be a good sport." Kluke threw a casual arm over his shoulder. "Besides, we've got a heck of a lot more ground to cover. Sure, I brought up the favorite, but we still haven't gotten into the good ones yet..."

* * *

Eventually, Zola appeared with Marumaro and Bouquet, inadvertently rescuing Shu from his humiliation in front of all. After handing the orb off to one of the researchers and telling them about it, she again explained what had happened, this time to Shu, Jiro, and Kluke. Once she had finished, Jiro told her what had taken place on their side.

Out of all of it, Zola seemed particularly disturbed about the Light Sphere voice. Jiro wondered about it, but decided that maybe she was right in worrying about that. If the voice was different, it could be a new ally. But it could also be a new enemy.

At the end of the telling, Shu grinned brightly and said, "The coolest mushroom _ever_!"

"It's a rafflesia!" Jiro yelled at him.

Kluke dropped her head into her hands and groaned.

Zola shook her head, chuckling at the three of them. "We should probably get to Jibral soon. The king will want to know about all of this as soon as possible."

"True," Jiro nodded. "But, Fushira-"

"Don't you worry about me," he interrupted gently. "I'll stay and protect the village."

"But, Grandpa..." Shu was painfully aware that a whining tone had entered his voice, but couldn't be bothered to cover it.

Fushira put a hand on his grandson's head. "It's fine. You go out and go on your adventures." He winked at him. "Just make sure to come back eventually and save some adventures for me."

Shu stared at him, then nodded, smile warm and eyes unusually bright. "You bet!"

Bouquet had been watching and listening to everything from a distance; she had felt apart, like she didn't belong, often around her new friends. But with all of the villagers crowding around each other, acting like a huge family, she had been made painfully aware of the fact that she (at least, in her thoughts) was not one of them.

These thoughts came to a halt, however, when she heard a strange beeping from behind her... It took a minute for her to realize that the sound was coming from the mechat. A look at the happy villagers decided for her that she would investigate it on her own...

Oblivious to this, Marumaro had just noticed something. "Hey, Shu, what happened to your head?!" Marumaro pointed at the gauze that had been difficult to see at first because of Shu's hair. Now that he was closer, though, he could see white wrap around his forehead, as well as the reddish-brown spots that dotted it.

"Oh," Shu chuckled sheepishly. "I just got a bump, that's all. No big deal."

"You lost a little too much blood for it to be 'no big deal'." Jiro sounded distinctly upset.

"Not that it's going to make much difference for your brain." Kluke jested, though the worry could be heard if you searched for it. _Yeah, just go ahead and cover up your feelings again. Just retreat inside yourself again. That's what you always do, isn't it?_

Shu flared. "You could try and be at least a _little_ concerned, Kluke, you know?!"

"First of all," Kluke held up one finger. "You could try not to crash head first into a rock. And second," she added another finger. "You sound like Jiro."

"I do _not_ sound like him!" Shu skipped the first jibe completely; in one of the "childhood stories" from earlier, Kluke had poked fun at him mercilessly for imitating Jiro during most of his early years of life, and he wanted to clip the wings of this train of thought before it took flight again.

"Thanks." Jiro said sourly. "I can't _begin_ to tell you how _terribly_ flattered I am right now."

"Hey, guys!" Bouquet's panicked voice cut across. "The mechat is doing something weird... I think you should come and look at this!"

"What-?!" Shu shot up, but was immediately forced back down against his will. "M-my head..." _Please, please don't throw up..._

"Stay here," Jiro urged him as the others started making their way to the mechat. "We'll check it out and let you know what's going on." With that, he followed after the others.

Jiro was climbing up the mechat ladder when he heard Kluke say, "Why are they doing that?"

Zola shook her head. "I don't know."

Hearing him come up from behind her, Kluke asked, "What do you make of _this_, Jiro?"

His eyes widened as he saw what had caught their attention - the map was being displayed on the mechat radar, but for three of the locations, the dots had gotten larger and were flashing rapidly, even more than the other places highlighted that they hadn't been to yet.

"Maybe..." Jiro started, discovering the answer as he said it. "Maybe they're doing that because it's indicating something; perhaps that we need to go there for some reason."

"Where are they, though?" Bouquet asked. "Have you been there before?"

His tone heavy, he replied, "Oh, yes, we've definitely been there." Jiro pointed them out as he said the names. "Lago Village, Jibral Castle Town, and Devour Village."

"Wait!" Marumaro interrupted. "You said Lago, right?! What does that mean for Mommy and Daddy, and Maro's little brothers and sisters?!"

"Calm down, Marumaro." Zola placed a hand on his shoulder. "If it's like you said, Jiro, then we need to get to those places fast. And because of that, I think we'll have to split up for a little while. I'll go with the soldiers, Blademasters and researchers back to Jibral by foot and carriage. I'd like to deliver all of this news to His Majesty myself anyway. The rest of you should take the mechat and go to Lago Village first, since it's closer, then to Devour Village, in order to find out what's going on." She came to an abrupt stop when a certain small person wrapped themselves around her leg.

"Maro doesn't want to leave Lady Zola!" He snuggled closer.

"Don't worry," Zola spoke reassuringly, easing him off her limb. "Our rendezvous point will be Jibral - as soon as you're done investigating, you can meet me there."

"But..." He started.

Zola stood akimbo. "You want to see if your friends and family are okay, don't you?"

" 'Course!" Marumaro nodded rapidly.

"Well, then," she nodded to him, a gentle smile on her face. "I want to make sure all of my friends in Jibral are okay, too. Do you understand what I mean, Marumaro?"

He sighed dejectedly. "Yes..."

"We won't be apart that long. I promise. Hm?" Zola furrowed her eyebrows at a sound, then looked up to see Kluke repressing laughter. She dropped the smile like a hot stone (why had she been doing that so much today?). She cleared her throat. "I'm going to go down and explain the situation to everyone. All of you should get prepared to go."

"I'll go, too," Jiro took a step forward. "I need to say goodbye to my parents, and I should help Shu get in here."

He started following Zola, but something held him back by the shoulder. He looked over to see Kluke's worried face.

"Jiro... All of these things that have been going on the past few days..." She shook her head. "Jiro, what's happening?"

"I don't know, Kluke," Jiro wished he could tell her something better than that, but it was the most truthful answer he could give, even though it was an answer he loathed. He held the hand on his shoulder, pressing it close. "I don't know."

**Chapter 14 done! :D Wow… That's definitely the longest chapter I've ever written. But, it kind of makes up for the fact that the next chapter isn't going to be as long as this one. ;) I was sort of pleased with how this chapter turned out. My writing style seems to have changed somewhat, but hopefully those changes are good. :) I'm worried (a little more than usual, anyway) that some people may have been out of character at certain points, though I won't name who and when. If anyone **_**was**_** out of character, I'm sure all of you will be sure to let me know. ;) So… There isn't really much else to mention – I still can't remember that thing I forgot – so I guess I'll end the note here. If you can, please review and let me know what you think of it. :) I'm still aiming for updating after 10 hits, but what really decides what story gets updated next is the poll on my profile (like I've said before, the problem is fixed, so please remember to vote again!). See you soon! :D**


	16. Chapter 15

**Phew; finally got this uploaded. It took so much to finish this chapter… I'm glad that I did, though; I haven't been having such a good time these past few days, but working on and completing another chapter of **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** was just what I needed, I think. ;) Anyway, I should've said this first, but… Happy New Year, everyone! :) Hope everyone's been enjoying it so far. But, before I keep going on an on, I'll do the review replies first.**

**OceanLeviathan:** *blushes* Thank you! :D I had a great time writing it, so I'm glad it came out good. :) Thanks; I'd been worried it might be a bit too much – though, regardless, I was still pleased with how it came out. I just figured that, at least when they'd been little(r) kids, they must have been somewhat afraid of it… And then the idea just kind of grew a bit more. XD Oh, really? That's strange… What I had found out had said that the Land Shark killed them, but maybe I got my facts wrong. I think I _might_ remember reading something about that, though I'd thought it had been for the anime… Still, I'll look into it as soon as I can (which probably won't be the soonest, but whenever I get the chance…). Glad to hear it. :D Shu calling Rafflesia a mushroom is actually one of the "running gags" that I mentioned a few chapters back; we'll be seeing some more of that as time goes on. ;) Yeah; it isn't the only reason I put it in, but it played a pretty big part. XD Ooh, I forgot about that… XD But thanks for reminding me; the scene will be different, but I'll find a way to squeeze that in when the time comes. ;D Great; that's what I was aiming for with that chapter. :D Also glad to hear that the stories were funny; I thought at least one of them would be, but I wondered (and worried, of course) if people would find them all that funny. Me, too, actually; I mostly know what the pillars are, and the orb, but I'm also kind of discovering what they are as I write. It's an… interesting writing experience. XD Ah… I won't spoil it, but I will say that's _almost_ right. ;) But you'll find out about part of that this chapter… Me, too; when I saw how the Shadows were introduced in Plus, I was so disappointed. :( Still, it didn't stop me from enjoying the game. ;) Really? Wow… I'd thought I had done a bad job, so thank you; it means a lot. :D Me, too – I can't wait until it comes out (hopefully sometime this year). :D Looks like it. XD I wonder how Kluke will answer Sahlia's question… I know; I hope he'll be alright. :( Ack, I hope they finish the translation soon; so many questions already, yet so few answers. XP

**Ultimashadow & Kasumi Kusanagi:** *hugs back* Missed you, too; sorry it took so long! Both of you (and none taken, Ultimashadow). :) That pretty much sums up what I thought when I found out what she's going to say, too. XD Ah… I've never seen Shakugan no Shana (though I'm interested in it), but that's besides the point… That was kind of the same for me, except that I loved both Jiro x Kluke and Shu x Kluke since the beginning, and ended up favoring Jiro x Kluke early on while watching my dad play (to give you guys an idea of how early, Marumaro hadn't even joined the party yet). I still like Shu x Kluke, though; I think it's cute. :) That was a little similar for me, too; I loved Sahlia the moment I saw her, and as I saw the events that played out in Devour Village, I also immediately loved Shu x Sahlia. XD Andropov?... Who's Kazumi Yoshida? Ah… This is one of those things I should probably know, but don't, isn't it? *chuckles sheepishly* Thanks; that's what I was aiming for. ;D Ah. *blushes* Thank you. :D Oh… Now that you mention it, I think I do see a few parallels… It isn't too similar, is it? But, I thought that scene in _Kyuushuu_ was really great, so I'm glad to hear I did something reminiscent of it. :D He is indeed. XD (_Jiro: *scowls at Yamadori* Oh, yes, just go ahead and laugh. See how funny it is when you have to chase around a certain hyper five year old when it's bath time._) (_Ooh… Jiro, dear, you just gave me the most _wonderful_ idea for _Questions_. XD XD_) (_Jiro: An idea for… Oh. Oh, no. No, no. Don't you _dare_-_) Anyway. XD The thing I had in mind when I was writing that scene was when they had returned to Talta for the first time after the Land Shark's attack, and Shu had run towards the ruined village with Jiro while shouting for his grandfather; I figured if he had done it before, chances were he'd do it again. ;) Aw… That's sweet (don't worry, Kasumi). :) Well, it wasn't _exactly_ blushing… But her face had reddened, so it couldn't really be called anything else, either. The tint was light enough that you couldn't really see it if you were really up close to her (at least, as close as Bouquet had been). Um… That fight wasn't out of character, was it? It mostly stemmed from the fact that I wanted to address that Jiro was still likely blaming himself for the Land Shark getting away in the beginning; it was fairly clear that he felt that way directly after it happened, and I suspected that it still felt that way even after all that time had passed. Shu often acts or speaks before thinking about it, so I thought it would be a plausible way of bringing the whole thing up. He seems to do that an awful lot, doesn't he? :P I think I remember him saying something like that, too; and if not, it certainly sounds like something he would say. ;) Ah, well… People can sometimes do surprising things when the ones they love are in danger. Thanks; I loved writing it! XD Ah, really? I thought it was a mushroom, too. XD Oh, by all means, go ahead; I don't mind you using it at all (that goes for you, too, Kasumi; feel free to use it if you want). :) I know; I cracked up while I was writing it. XD I'm thinking of adding some of those scenes into _Questions_, too, if I can find a question for Shu to ask Jiro while the events occurred. That's what I keep telling him. XD Oh… Well, actually, she _did_ hear those stories; no one saw them, but Zola, Marumaro and Bouquet were close enough to hear everything that had been said. (Shoot, I knew I needed to be more descriptive when the scenes were changing…) (_Bouquet: Please don't tell Shu! I don't want him to be mad…_) Oh, no, definitely not over; we're just getting into the story for real now. ;D Thank you, Kasumi. :D You took the words right out of my mouth. XD Thanks, Ultimashadow. :D Bye, guys; you two take care, too! :) (To both: I haven't had much time lately, most of which I use for writing anyway, but I'll read and catch up with all of your stuff as soon as I can. Thanks for letting me know, too! :))

**Shadow Koopa:** (The review was written for the first chapter – technically, the prologue - but I'm putting it here because it had been intended for last chapter). Thank you! :D I just hope I can keep it up; a lot of the stuff I'm discovering as I write it. XD Er… Around two and a half months is probably considered "too long", isn't it? *chuckles sheepishly* I'm sorry; I've had a lot going on since the last time I updated this. In addition, this chapter ended up being longer than I expected. But, I'll try to finish it faster next time.

**Growlmon1:** Thanks. :D Yes; I kind of know what he's going through, because aside from being sick, I'm pretty accident-prone myself… (Though it makes for some Jiro x Kluke opportunities. :D) (_Shu: Finally! Someone understands!_) Oh… Well, I can try and describe it, if you want me to. Also, I can try to dig up some links for Blue Dragon videos on YouTube that relate to the Land Shark. Anyway… Oh, no problem; I haven't had much time lately, either, so I don't mind. Glad to hear it; though I always have different things that I aim for with each individual chapter, the thing I always aim for is a mixture of the genres. :) Thanks so much for letting me know; I was ecstatic when I initially read your review, and I'm still happy about it now. :D I had known about the Spanish subs before I read your review (only a few days before, actually), but I hadn't heard about the English ones until you told me. The Spanish subs are more accurately translated – and also currently have more episodes translated – but it's excellent news regardless; thanks again for letting me know. :D Sorry for the long wait, but here it is! :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Thank you; it's nice to be back. :D Thanks! :) I did, too; I'm going to have so much fun with that running gag. XD Well, that won't be revealed until a while from now… I will say that you may be surprised by who it is, but at the same time, it may be someone who you expect. ;) I miss you, too; I'm so sorry my replies have been so slow. I did send a few replies yesterday, though, and I'll try to do some more as soon as I can. (P.S. Happy Birthday, Rune!! :D It may end up being late, but I'm going to try to write you a oneshot as a present. For a pairing, is Nene x Himiko okay, or would you prefer something else?)

**YuukixZero16-in-yellow:** *blushes* Thanks! :D I'm sorry it took such a long time; I've been going through a lot lately… Yeah; it's pretty bad. :( Oh… XD XD Yep! :) The others will likely follow soon… Or will they? ;) Thank you. :D I couldn't have said it better myself. XD Hopefully we'll get to see some more action from the trio soon… And hopefully when it happens, I won't ruin the action scenes completely. XP

**Inita:** Thank you. :D Thanks; as you probably know by now, I'm always worried about that, so it's good to know. :) The scene with Jiro's parents and Fushira was one of the scenes that I actually liked and had few worries about, so I'm glad someone else liked it, too. :D Ah… The new Light Sphere voice won't be revealed until later. As I told Rune, the voice's identity may come as a surprise, but it also may be someone you'd expect. ;) No, no, I didn't mention who it was yet; no worries. :) Thanks; whenever Fushira comes back, there's a good chance it'll happen again. XD (_Jiro: You live to torture me, don't you?_) Glad to hear it; I laughed quite a bit when I wrote it, so I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it. XD On a side note, if I can find a way to work in a question Shu would ask Jiro, some of those stories may make an appearance in _Questions_. Me too; I hope they finish translating soon! I have too, actually (though even if she does, I'll still probably favor Jiro x Kluke). I think she might; there seems to be several hints throughout the first game, though there are also several hints for feelings towards Jiro as well. It seems like she might have feelings for both of them, actually… Oh, yeah, I remember that scene (in fact, it was one of my favorite scenes). I'd wondered why she wasn't jealous the first time, too. I figured she either thought they wouldn't see Sahlia again, so it wasn't worth worrying about; or, because Kluke is usually good at hiding her true feelings about things, that she did feel jealous, but was more careful about hiding it. True; Jiro and Kluke were alongside each other frequently during Plus, and on the Ikai no Kyojuu website, Jiro and Kluke share the same flashback scenes on their character profiles. Seems like promising hints. :D Oh… Thanks. :) I'm definitely holding tight to that theory, since it was possibly the biggest Jiro x Kluke evidence in all of Plus. Same here; I love both of those pairings, and I'm sticking to them. :D I'll be pretty disappointed if that happens, too. :( I like Shu x Kluke – I think their relationship is quite cute, actually – but I'll probably always prefer Jiro x Kluke. I think the two of them fit together better; they just compliment each other so well. :) I have a feeling that Jiro and Sahlia will develop either a friendship or feelings for each other in Ikai no Kyojuu or (hopefully) another sequel; they both have people that they love who are (to some degree) unaware of their feelings, so I've always thought it would form a kind of kinship between them. Ah, the trials and troubles of the infamous "love triangle". XP I know what you mean; I liked both pairings from the start, but I started favoring Jiro x Kluke close to the beginning. That's why it took me off guard when some of the Shu x Kluke hints started cropping up as the game progressed. Oh, no problem. I like her, too; she's great (my… second favorite, I think; I forgot). :D I know; the suspense has been gnawing at me since I found out about that conversation they'll be having. XP Oh, no, it's fine. I tend to rant a lot myself (evidenced above), so I don't mind. XD Alright; I'll do my best. :D "_BD Beyond_"… Ooh, that has a ring to it. :P Is it okay to use that sometime in the future?

**whitewolf105:** Thank you. :D *blushes* A-ah, no, w-wait, get up! *flails arms* Oh, why does this happen…? I know; quite unusual, isn't it? ;) Yeah; I always love throwing in Zola x Marumaro whenever I can. ;D Oh, um… I feel really stupid for asking, but what does "gradats" mean? *embarrassed flush*

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Oh… It's alright; I know you've been busy lately. :) I think you voted that time; I don't remember now… *blushes* Y-you're welcome. :D (_Jiro…_) _(Jiro: What? Why are you looking at me like _I_ did something wrong?... Come on,_ stop_._) (_Maybe._) You're welcome… :) Thanks; I haven't had much time these days, so even though writing always helps me feel better (often both physically and mentally), updating has been hard to do… So, thank you, for being so patient – and eager to see the updates, too, because I'm always happy to know that you (and everyone else, really) are enjoying them. :) *blushes further* Wow… They must be better than I thought, then. XD I know; it was so nice to see the two of them getting along… And then I freaked out when Rottares attacked Kluke. *sweatdrops* Ooh, speaking of me freaking out… You mean the time in episode 50, right? Or… There wasn't another time he almost died, was there? *worried* (_Jiro: *shakes head* You know that he's okay._) (_I know, but…_) Ah… I forgot what I said, but, okay. :D (_Jiro: *groans* Hopeless…_) (Oh, that's happened to me, too. Quite a few times, actually.) :D Thanks! :) You're welcome. :) Oh, that's great. :D I don't know if I've replied to all of your reviews from that day yet, but if I haven't, I'll get to them soon. :) I know; I saw all of the stuff (and, as you know, I've joined now). It's so much fun over there. :D Oh, and I'm sorry about not being on the RPG site lately – like I said several times already, the last several days have been hard ones for me, so I haven't had the time to go over there and update stuff… But, I'll try to as soon as I can. :) Also, you've been doing an excellent job with Jiro (both anime and game); as you do whenever you write him, he's been very much in-character. :D Though you roleplay as Jiro, the other characters you occasionally do are also very much in-character (namely, but not exclusively, Bouquet). Thank you for being so patient; I'll try to make it up to you by writing faster. :) No worries; I know what you mean, because I often feel the same about your stories, too. :) (Same here. :D) Yes… Thank you. :) Aw… Thanks, An. Thanks so much… ;.; Yes. Alright; I'll try to get to work on those other chapters soon. :)

**Inita:** Oh… *blushes* Welcome, then. :D Ah, okay. Thanks! :) I love the trio's friendship, so I can't help but add it in when I can. :P On a side but related note, some of the Jiro x Kluke x Shu love triangle will make an appearance as well, though it – and all of the romance – will be coming kind of slow until the story reaches a certain point; currently, though I have the plot planned out in my mind, I'm not really able to estimate how many chapters it will take. But, I can't wait until that part, either; despite it not being one of the main points of the story, the romance will have a fairly big impact (especially later). Besides, it's lots of fun to write. ;) Those are my favorites, too; I'm looking forward to writing those scenes. :D Thank you; I'll try to move as fast as I can. :) Looks like it… Though I wonder what kind of present they're going to get him?... I have a feeling Kluke will probably win that competition, since she's known Shu longer, thus meaning she would probably know better what he likes. But, in regards to feelings, I hope Sahlia wins. ;D Yeah, going by the game's ages, he'll be eighteen… Though to me, he'll be fourteen. ;) But, yes, they do grow so fast… Yeah; I'm pretty sure my translation wasn't exact, but that's the gist of what Sahlia asked. I know; I want to find out what happens. XP I kind of have mixed feelings about creating a character; I think that mostly, I like it – I like Randel and Ran/Chiffon as individual characters, at least - but it _is_ quite a change from the last two games… Not sure; guess we'll have to see when Ikai no Kyojuu comes our way. No problem; I like talking/writing about Blue Dragon, so I don't mind at all. :) I don't know… There were barely, if any, hints for either Shu x Kluke or Jiro x Kluke in Blue Dragon Plus, so it's hard to tell where exactly Kluke's feelings currently lie. I'm guessing it could go either way, or both ways - or that she'll try to avoid the question all together, though if she does, I doubt that Sahlia will let the subject drop so easily. (P.S. You wouldn't happen to be the same Inita from above, would you? ;))

**Inita:** I haven't had one person review a chapter three times for a while - thanks. :D Oh, no, you're not annoying me at all. :) Heck, you can go back and review every chapter if you want to - I definitely won't mind. XD Hm, you aren't able to PM...? Yeah - I've always liked the friendship between those two, so I thought it would be an appropriate place for it there. :) I'm not sure at this point, but there might be more friendship between Shu and Coluti in the future as well. Also, Coluti is probably my second favorite out of the Talta villagers, so I like bringing him in if I can. ;) Between Jiro and Frado… Well, currently, I'm not sure if much (if anything) will be happening in Noluta Village, so I'm not sure yet. But if so, then yes, most likely there will be some kind of friendship scene between the two of them. :) I've actually been trying to bring places like Noluta and some of the other villages into the story, but I haven't been able to figure anything out yet… And I don't want to bring in any place unnecessarily… But I'll figure something out, I think. Though if you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know. :) No problem; if there's anything else you'd like to ask, you're welcome to review again. :)

**Alright; review replies are done! Now, before continuing, I have two IMPORTANT (capitalized for sake of emphasis) notes to make:**

**First off, I know I've done this before, but… I felt that I needed to do it again. So… Thank you, all of you, for all of your kind and helpful reviews, whether they're recent or several months old. I said this several times already, but the last few days have been difficult for me, so seeing all of your wonderful reviews really uplifted me. So, thank you, because it helped a lot, maybe even more than you'd think.**

**Secondly, because of very recent circumstances (which I would **_**really**_** rather not go over right now), I'm not sure when I'll be able to get a new DS, so the adaptation of Blue Dragon Plus will continue to be on hold. On the same subject (though it doesn't seem related), if you guys don't hear any word from me for several months, do not be alarmed – most likely I am not dead, only disconnected from the internet. XP (I think that'll give you some idea as to what exactly those recent circumstances are.)**

**Okay; now that those two are out of the way… I don't really have anything else to say, actually. So, without further ado, read on! :)**

_Chapter 15: Ooame (Heavy Rain)_

Marumaro sighed, looking through the tiny space between the railing and mechat, loosely holding the metal bar. He could just barely make out the Jibral soldiers leaving Talta Village, and knowing that Zola was there made him half-wish he could jump down and come with her.

But... No. No, he couldn't do that. Not even taking into account that he probably wouldn't survive a fall from this height, he knew that he needed to make sure his family was okay. His fists tightened on the railing, eyebrows scrunching angrily. If anyone or anything had _dared_ to hurt them, he'd make them wish they'd never come anywhere near Lago Village.

"I already miss her, too." Marumaro looked up in surprise when he heard the soft voice, and found Bouquet next to him.

She didn't know why she missed Zola so much. Maybe it was because Bouquet had gone with her to investigate the pillar with Marumaro, and it had triggered off some sort of comradery between them. Maybe it was because she'd gotten more emotion out of Zola than most people, with the exceptions including Marumaro and King Jibral, had ever been able to. Maybe it was because during that pillar investigation, Zola had made her wonder for the second time (the first being her time spent with Jiro) if maybe Shu was not the only new friend she had made.

But, whatever the reason, Bouquet missed her.

"Don't worry," Marumaro released one of his hands from the railing, taking hold of one of Bouquet's. "We'll see her again soon. Lady Zola said we would, so it has to be true."

* * *

As the time passed, everyone's positioning changed a little. Jiro, Marumaro and Bouquet ended up going down to the cabin to rest a little; since Kluke wanted to have a little more fresh air and watch the scenery a bit longer, it left her and Shu to be the only ones on the deck. And thinking that maybe this was the best chance she would get, Kluke decided that she would speak to him now about what she had wanted to earlier.

She came to stand next to him, trying to appear nonchalant as she leaned with one hand on the pilot's chair. "Hey, Shu... There's something I wanted to talk to you about..."

"What's up, Kluke?"

"It's..." She steeled herself. "It's about Nene."

"What about him?" An edge had made its way into Shu's voice.

Kluke figured that it would probably go easier if she just came out and say it. "It's wasn't your fault he got away."

His jaw tightened. "Just drop it, Kluke. I don't want to talk about it."

"Tough, because I do." She took a seat on the blue metal, grabbing hold of the struts for balance (and, of course, so she wouldn't fall off). She knew how this kind of thing worked with Shu - if you let it go, didn't talk about it, he'd put off that talk for a day. Or two. Or five. Or twenty. It was necessary to speak with him immediately, and worry about being blunt _after_ the point had been made. "Don't beat yourself up over things you can't control. You tried your best to stop him. There was nothing else you could have done."

The pause was so long that despite the fact she'd spoken quite clearly, Kluke wondered if he had even heard her. But, eventually, he spoke. "I don't deserve to have you and Jiro as friends." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Kluke furrowed her eyebrows. "Hey, don't say that. Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

He answered her question with another. "Do you remember the first time we were in Nene's Fortress, when I told you and Jiro to stay close to me?"

"Sure I remember. But..." She shook her head. "What does that have to do with this?"

"I said that because I wanted to protect you, because I wanted to keep you guys safe. You made light of it, but I really did. And I still want to. But if I'm not able to defeat Nene, or even just fight him, then how can I really protect you?" After he'd finished speaking, Kluke started counting in her head; she'd made it to twenty-three when Shu finally became aware of how that might've sounded, and he rushed to correct it. "I-I mean, you and everyone else."

Kluke reached out and ruffled his hair; he growled under his breath in response, shooting her a sideways glare. She laughed, retracting her hand and leaning back slightly.

Shu stopped scowling at her for a moment and just stared. At this angle, with the setting sun directly behind her, it turned her hair a lighter, almost golden-brown that it hadn't been since she was a very young child. He'd been a very young child himself when she'd been that age, but... His memory had always been fairly sharp, and he had even more clarity around that time because of certain tragic events. He looked away from her quickly, forcefully pushing down a sudden longing for his parents.

"Shu? Are you alright?" She asked, smile dropping to be replaced with slight worry, that concern prepared to build into something bigger if he were to confirm her fears.

He made himself speak through the lump in his throat. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Kluke sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

Shu turned his head towards her. "I promise you, Kluke, I'm going to get stronger. I won't let him get away again. I won't fail. Next time, I _will_ protect you."

Kluke swallowed her embarrassment. "Shu..." Another swallow, then trying to find what to say. Feeling horrible about it, the words that came to her were, "You have to watch where we're going."

He tried to cover how much the sudden change of topic had affected him, how upset it made him, and failed horribly. He looked away. "Right." His voice was strained.

Unbeknownst to either, they had been watched for some time.

When Shu had talked about being stronger, about protecting them (her), the watcher's hands had tightened, almost to the point of pain, around the ladder bars. Once Kluke had doused the light of the conversation, though, Jiro turned and went back into the cabin.

* * *

A little while later, once they were starting to get especially close to the village, Jiro, Marumaro and Bouquet came back up to the deck.

Jiro watched absentmindedly as Kluke checked the bandage on Bouquet's hand, deep in thought about numerous things (a certain recent event involving Shu and Kluke was at the forefront). So it took him completely by surprise when Marumaro tapped him on the arm.

Once Jiro had recovered, Marumaro scuffed his shoe against the floor, before lifting his head up. "Jiro, do you think Maro's family is okay?"

Pushing down the 'my' that he was so desperate to say, he instead told him, "I think so. Our family and friends were okay when we arrived in Talta, so yours probably will be, too. And if anything tries to hurt them after we get there, we'll definitely stop it." He wished he felt half as confident as he sounded, but the last thing he would do was let Marumaro be discouraged.

"Yeah! We'll show 'em!" Marumaro jumped up energetically, startling Bouquet even though she was some distance away.

Jiro shook his head wryly. "Take it easy, Marumaro. Remember that there has to be an actual enemy first before we can fight them."

"Oh... Sorry." Marumaro lowered his head dejectedly.

"Hey, guys," Shu interrupted suddenly. "I'm going to land outside of the canyon. It's a pain to navigate the mechat in between those rocks, and it's a pretty short walk to Lago anyway."

"Okay," Jiro nodded. "Go ahead. We'll get ready to get off."

While Marumaro started heading down into the cabin, Kluke finished wrapping Bouquet's hand, giving it a small pat. "Alright, kiddo; that should hold you for a while."

Bouquet nodded, holding her hand close to herself. "Th-thank you."

"It's healing really nicely. This is probably going to be the last time it needs to be changed." Kluke stood, brushed her skirt down, then offered Bouquet her hand. "Here."

"O-oh!" Bouquet took it, yelping a little when Kluke pulled her up. She stared intently at her feet. "Th-thank you..."

"You don't have to be so shy," Kluke smiled at her warmly. "You're among friends here."

Bouquet fiddled with her apron. "Oh, u-um, I, um..." She shut her eyes tight. "Right!" Then fled down the ladder.

Kluke blinked down at the hole connecting the deck and cabin. "I've never seen anyone so shy before..."

"She just needs a little time," Jiro said, coming over from behind her. "She'll come out of her shell eventually."

Kluke gave a small nod. "Yeah, I guess so... But..." A small shake of her head. "You notice how she never says any of our names except for Shu?"

"And Zola." When Kluke shot him a look, he explained. "Marumaro was telling me about when they searched the stone pillar. He said that Bouquet shouted her name, and I was just as surprised as you are, so I asked him about it."

She placed a hand under her chin, looking thoughtful. "Hm... Well, it's still kind of strange, but it's a good sign that she's opening up more. Though it's beyond me why the second person she called by name was Zola, considering the fact that Zola's pretty quiet herself."

Jiro shrugged, smiling dryly. "It's a conundrum." Being a little more serious, he added, "But, actually, there is a time when Bouquet opens up."

Kluke looked up a little, hand left in the same pose. "Really?"

Jiro nodded. "Whenever she reads. Or whenever I'm telling her some kind of information."

She quirked an eyebrow, a corner of her mouth upturned. "You sure that's not because of _you_?"

Jiro's face reddened slightly, so barely that you couldn't really notice it unless you were close enough. But the way he stumbled over his words then was what gave away his embarrassment. "I-I'm sure th-that's not the reason..."

Kluke winked at him. "Calm down. I was just teasing you."

_She usually teases when she's covering up how she really feels..._ Then he mentally kicked himself. _Yeah, but not _every_ time; it's just wishful thinking on your part._ Out loud, he said, "Sorry. Still, though... I don't think I've ever seen anyone so eager to learn before. It's like she loves knowledge itself... But, the way she's curious about anything and everything... It's kind of like... like..."

Both of them broke out into matching grins as they simultaneously said, "Like Shu."

"Well... Shu at seven years old." Kluke amended.

Jiro nodded, holding in chuckles. "Shu was a lot smaller then; mostly just big, blinking eyes-"

"If you're going to talk about someone behind their back," Shu shoved past them, having landed the mechat during their talk, and speaking venomously, "the least you can do is wait until they're too far away to hear you." Not sparing either of them a glance, without another word, he slid down the ladder to the cabin.

Jiro and Kluke both had the grace to stare at their feet in complete embarrassment and silence for several moments, before Kluke finally managed to find her voice. "I guess... we should probably follow him."

* * *

He all but slammed his fist into the metal next to him. How? How could this have happened? How could things have gone so completely wrong?

He'd been so very careful with his planning... And then the sphere... He shook his head in disgust. It was too infuriating to even _think_ about.

But... Maybe he could make it work. Things would happen much, much faster than he had intended, but he could still make it work. After all, it wouldn't be the first time his plans had been disrupted and he had to work impromptu.

_Yes,_ Nene smiled to himself. _I believe that it is finally time to tell _her_._

* * *

Bouquet was the first to disembark; she jumped from the hatch doorway... and immediately let out a shocked cry. "The ground...! It's all..."

"Mushy!" Marumaro, having jumped down himself and made the same discovery, finished the statement for her.

"What's going on?..." Kluke lifted her foot up, and upon hearing the squishing sound- "_Ech_!" She leaned her back against the mechat, trying to free her foot of the soaked soil by shaking it, looking particularly disgusted.

After he and Jiro had left the ship as well, Shu spoke up, his tone relatively normal, if you excluded the biting irritation. "We're in a rocky, dusty, _dry_ canyon, right?" Voice rising and gesturing widely with hands outspread, he continued with, "So will someone _please_ explain to me why there are miniature rivulets of water rolling past us?!"

"I think the bigger question is, 'when did you learn the word rivulet?'." Kluke commented sarcastically.

"Oh, thanks a lot, Kluke!" Shu snapped at her.

Jiro knelt down, eyes narrowed at the ground. "Shu brings up a good point, though. While there's definitely more than enough to survive on, Lago and its surrounding areas aren't known for their overabundance of water. Certainly not enough to cause something like this. And judging from the way these trickles of water are moving, and how moist the dirt is, whatever's caused this is recent."

"We gotta go, then!" Marumaro stood on the tips of his toes. "Gotta make sure Mommy and Daddy are okay!" Immediately after he'd finished, he darted off towards the village.

"Wait, Marumaro!" Kluke called after him, hand outstretched.

Shu pointed forward. "Let's go!" After quick nods and affirmative noises from everyone else, they followed him.

As they continued on, it only seemed to get worse. By the time they were near the village, with practically every step, each of them were stepping in puddles of water that went just above their ankles (though it went a little higher for Shu, and more than a little higher for Marumaro).

"Hey... Do you hear that?" Kluke leaned forward slightly, straining her ears.

Jiro nodded. "I do... It sounds like..."

"Rain." Bouquet supplied for him, wide-eyed.

Marumaro swallowed, saying nothing (perhaps slightly uncharacteristic), then took a shaky step forward, hoping against the odds that it wouldn't be a repeat of that fateful day he'd come back from hunting. That he wouldn't be too late to stop whatever threatened to cause his family and friends harm.

* * *

"Ah...!" The sound she let out couldn't really be called a yell - mostly a noise of surprise. Zola stopped moving as an enormous shadow passed over them; she snapped her head up, but relaxed as she saw the source.

Following the rest of the group, she stood with them near the spot where the air balloon was about to land.

As soon as a Blademaster disembarked, he saluted her. "Lady Zola."

She returned the gesture, then began questioning him, "What's brought you here?"

"After the stone pillars made their appearance, King Jibral sent out a fleet of air balloons to patrol the sky for anymore suspicious activity, and to report back if we made any discoveries. So far we haven't encountered anything, but we're keeping a careful watch."

Zola nodded. "Good. But, I must ask you to take some of us with you back to Jibral right away. We've made an important discovery concerning the stone pillars, and it's of the utmost importance that we get there quickly."

The Blademaster gave a short bow. "Understood. Please board at your earliest convenience."

A few minutes later found her in the air, leaning against the edge of the basket with one hand. She had ended up boarding with all of the researchers and a third of the soldiers; seeing as all the horses and carriages obviously couldn't be brought aboard the balloon, the rest of the soldiers and all of the Blademasters had stayed on the ground, where they would continue to Jibral by foot. It had seemed like the best choice, since it would also be a good opportunity to patrol the land for any pillar-caused activity as well.

Zola sighed, looking out into the distance, feeling wistful for a reason she couldn't explain. Though it was less obvious, she also felt eager - to deliver the news to King Jibral, and to bring the strange orb to the lab.

And also, even though she told herself there wasn't any point, she kept an eye out for a familiar mechat that she knew was much too far away for her to see.

* * *

"Agh!" Shu had his arms over his head protectively, but it wasn't doing much good - the pressure of the rain in the village was so intense that it had started to push all of them down. "This is really bad!"

"We have to do something!" Kluke shouted.

With a yell, Jiro lifted his arm up, bringing out Minotaur - the Shadow did the same, using a Shield spell. A little bit of water that had gotten inside still fell towards them, but the rest of it simply bounced off the transparent wall of magic.

Jiro winced; the force of the downpour wasn't strong enough to be considered painful, but it certainly wasn't comfortable, either. "I can hold it off for now, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep it up."

"We'll hurry, then." Shu nodded towards the village. "We'll make sure that everyone's okay, then see if we can find out what's causing this."

"And then we'll stop it!" Marumaro stomped the ground.

"Right!" Shu agreed. "Let's go!" He started running forward.

Jiro held out hand. "Shu, wait-!"

"OW!" Shu bounced off the shield, landing on his rear. He sat up, holding his nose.

"'Ow' is right," Jiro grated, hand over his chest, the area where most of the damage had transferred. "Your head is as hard as a rock..."

"I thought you were going to move _with_ me!" Shu yelled back. At least... that's what they all _guessed_ he had said; since his hand was over his injured nose, it hadn't _quite_ come out that way.

"We don't have time for this!" Marumaro waved his hands in the air. "We gotta make sure everyone is okay!"

As soon as Shu was standing, Jiro placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let me go first this time, alright? Just until we don't need the shield anymore." _Or until_ _I can't keep it up,_ he thought.

Despite the slightly pessimistic musing, they were able to proceed without the rain stopping them; they did move slower than they would have if it hadn't been there, but the Shield stayed up without fail, and in about a minute, they were in front of the town hall. Once they were under the doorpost - such as it was, at least - Jiro stopped the spell, and the group hastily entered.

Once they were through the door, Shu leaned against the wall with one hand. "We made it..."

Bouquet hugged herself. "I'm soaked through..."

"It's okay," Marumaro started walking further inside. "There are torches in the hall. We can warm up that way."

They'd only made it past the entrance hall when the Devee Tribe Chieftain rushed towards them. "Oh, Marumaro, thank goodness you've come!"

"What's happening here?" Jiro asked.

The chieftain shook his head. "We have no idea. A few hours ago, just before sunset started, it began raining all of a sudden. There was no warning - the sky had even been clear prior to it happening."

"Jiro." Kluke looked towards him.

"I know." Jiro had his hand under his chin. "It's probably connected."

"What is it?" The elder Devee questioned. "What has happened?"

"Just before sunset, Nene launched an attack on Talta Village." Jiro explained. "And I think he's done the same here."

"Uugh!" Marumaro growled. "If Maro ever gets his hands on Nene, he'll be sorry!"

"Marumaro..." The chieftain cleared his throat. "There is something that I should tell you..."

He was interrupted, however, by two young voices that spoke in perfect unison. "Big Brother Maro!"

"Tora! Mira!" Marumaro rushed to meet his little brother and sister - both of whom were also running towards him - but stopped when he was in front of them. "Where's Mommy and Daddy?"

"It's awful, Maro!" Marumira took hold of her big brother's hand, starting to tug. "You gotta come see! You _gotta_!"

"What? What is it?" Marumaro stood his ground despite her incessant pulling.

"You gotta see!" Marutora echoed his sister.

"Calm down," Shu stood next to Marumaro. "Just show us where it is." He kept his voice even, albeit being weighed by an awful feeling. The last person he'd seen this panicked had been in the Ancient Hospital Ruins, and that person had been Marumaro.

Marutora and Marumira led Marumaro forward, worriedly murmuring things that were too quiet for the rest of the group to hear, and the others followed.

But they didn't expect what they would find.

"Mini! Poni! Fini! Pino!" Marumaro raced towards the four beds, each of them holding a feverish sibling.

Kluke held a hand in front of her mouth. "What happened to them?"

"The rain," Marumaro's father answered from where he sat next to his wife, who leaned against him as she cried quietly. "That's what did this to them."

Jiro shook his head. "How, though? Rain shouldn't cause anything this bad. A cold, sure, but certainly nothing to this degree... Were they out there for a long time...?" But he trailed off as Marumaro's father shook his head.

"We think that when the rain first started falling, it was poisonous," the chieftain spoke up from behind them, making everyone turn. "Since all of you made it through relatively safe just now, it doesn't look like it's that way any longer. Most of the villagers had been in their houses, getting ready for dinner, but everyone who was outside when it initially fell became ill." He gestured to a few other beds where Devee Tribe members lay, their faces flushed.

"Me and Marutora were inside, helping Mommy and Daddy prepare the meal," Marumira told them. "Our other brothers and sisters, though... They wanted to stay outside and play."

Marumaro's mother sniffed, her tears stopping momentarily. "I... I should have tried harder to get them to come inside..." And then she buried her face into her husband's chest, sobbing anew.

The chieftain sighed. "The water level rises by the hour. Unless we find a way to stop it, we may soon be trapped in here."

"We won't let that happen." Shu brought a hand to his chest. "We're going to find out what's causing this and make it stop, so don't even worry about it."

"Kluke," Jiro looked towards her. "Let's see if there's anything we can do for them."

Kluke nodded wordlessly, and then they started towards the incapacitated Tribe members, mentally and physically preparing for the task ahead.

* * *

"What _is_ that?" Bouquet gazed up at the statue, mouth agape.

"One of the Devee Tribe's gods," Shu explained. "The Devee are fond of bats, so maybe that was the idea behind this one, or maybe they like them because of this particular god. Jiro said that the fact that they really like bats might have something to do with why Marumaro likes Zola so much."

"That, and she's cool." Bouquet reminded him.

"Yeah," Shu nodded his agreement. "There is that."

"Would you two keep it down?!" Marumaro snapped at them from where he knelt in front of the altar. Once sure that the two of them had been cowed into silence, he bowed his head once again in prayer.

"I didn't know he was all that religious." Bouquet whispered to Shu on the aside.

"Neither did I," he shook his head. "But... I think that sometimes a crisis brings that out in people." Almost against his will, his eyes slid to Kluke, who tended to the sick with flawless precision. It was so familiar to back then...

Shu shut his eyes tightly, trying to clear the memory from his head before it had a chance to completely form, trying to ignore the pain emanating from his chest. He opened his eyes when Bouquet shook his arm.

Marumaro stood, spinning around before stopping, with a slight jump, then clasping his hands in front of him. He murmured something to low for either Shu or Bouquet to hear, but both guessed that it was possibly the name of the dance.

But while his next words were still spoken in a low tone, they were discernable, and powerful with their pronounced anger. "He's wrong if he thinks Maro will let him get away with hurting Maro's family. No matter what, Maro'll make him pay."

* * *

"There," Kluke wiped her forehead with her arm. "That should do it."

The combination of Kluke's medical knowledge and Jiro's White Magic had improved their patients' conditions considerably; their sleep was more peaceful, and much of the red had left their faces.

Kluke's relaxation was a little premature, however - but she still managed to spring into action and catch Jiro when he stumbled. "Jiro, are you alright?"

"Yes," he nodded, a small smile lighting up his face when he met her eyes. "Just a little dizzy."

"Sit down for a minute." She directed him to one of the chairs, helping him take a seat.

He leaned his elbow against the bedside desk, resting his head on his hand. "I'm fine, Kluke. I just used a little too much magic, that's all." His eyes were shut in exhaustion, and Kluke knew that he was much more tired than he let on.

"We haven't been getting much rest lately," Kluke's hands were clasped over her chest. She brightened a little. "But maybe after all of this business with the rain, we'll be able to take it easy."

"At least until tomorrow. There isn't enough time left today, but we should head for Devour Village first thing in the morning." Jiro sighed. "If things are this bad in Lago Village, I doubt things will be much better in Devour. We need to get there as soon as we can."

Kluke opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a shout from near the entrance to the town hall.

"Chieftain!" The village watchman waved and shouted urgently. "There's something outside... You must come see!"

Jiro and Kluke looked to each other, almost knowing what the other was thinking, and with a nod, they both started running towards the exit, the place where the watchman and chieftain were headed. A few seconds into the run, and Shu, Marumaro and Bouquet were alongside them.

As they closed in on the two Devee Tribesmen, they could hear the watchman saying, "I had heard a strange sound outside, so I opened the door to see what it was... I... I've never seen anything like it!"

The doors were swung open, and then through the blur of the deluge, the chieftain pointed towards the sky. "Look!"

It wasn't close, but still near enough to be seen, to make out all of the details - its appearance being compared best to a black egg. Covered in a pattern of hexagonal indentations, every line colored the blue of the sky. And surrounded by that same blue, a single orange-red, electronic eye.

"See the clouds circling around it?" The watchman gestured to it. "It must be what's causing the rain!"

"That... That thing...!" Shu gasped, unwittingly pulling almost everyone's gaze to him. "It looks like that thing we fought in the Mecha Base!"

Jiro furrowed his eyebrows. "The Spellcaster? Wait a minute," in less than a second, Jiro had procured his notepad, and started to rapidly flip through pages. After going through several, he stopped. "Here it is..." He glanced up at the egg-like Mecha Robo, then back down at the small book. "Well, it certainly looks like it. Perhaps another variety of the same model..."

"If it's the same model, we should be able to defeat it the same way, right?" Shu asked him.

"Presumably. Unless Nene made some modifications to it, which is very possible." He shook his head. "I doubt it'll be the same as with the Spellcaster, though - you know how it usually goes. Whenever we've encountered another Mecha Robo that seemed similar to a model we had fought before, it was almost always stronger."

"Doesn't matter!" Marumaro stomped the ground. "If it's what's causing the rain, Maro will destroy it!"

"Marumaro's right!" Shu fisted his hands in front of him. "Let's take it down!" With that, both he and Marumaro charged towards it before anyone could stop them.

"Shu, wait!" Jiro stretched a hand out, but seeing as Shu had gotten so far already, dropped it with an exasperated shake of his head. Summoning Minotaur, he cast a Shield spell over himself and the girls, and then the three of them followed after Shu and Marumaro.

Shu and Marumaro stood several feet apart, their Shadows summoned, fighting against the pressure. "You'd better knock it off with this rain, or else we'll turn you into scrap metal!" Shu shouted at it.

The eye flashed, more red now than orange, almost... angrily. It didn't seem to like being threatened, even at a distance.

The lines of the hexagons started to glow a brighter blue, and then suddenly, the rain was coming down with a ferocity that seemed so much greater than the torrent of only moments before.

Shu closed his eyes, his yelling being drowned out by the sound of the water that smacked against him. He felt the water rising past his knees-

He heard the scream from across him, eyes snapping open just in time to see Marumaro's head go under the surface.

It felt like a fist had closed around his heart as the hoarse shout leapt from his throat. "_Marumaro_!!!"

He recognized the sound of a splash from behind him; turning, he saw Bouquet's white tights and purple shoes disappearing underneath the steadily rising water. Before he had a chance to scream her name in a panic, she was pulling out of the liquid, gasping for air - and in her secure grip was Marumaro, coughing up water.

Kluke waded in; the edges of her skirt fanned out, like dark flower petals opening. "Bouquet, get him inside!" She glared daggers at the Mecha Robo above their heads. "We'll handle this thing."

"No!" Marumaro, still choking, struggled in Bouquet's grasp. "Maro wants to fight it, too!"

Jiro took a step into the water, keeping a careful eye on how far it went up. "There's no way you can fight it like this! Your feet would have to touch the ground to bring out your Shadow, and the surface of the water is _above_ where your head would be; you'd drown if you tried to attack it." Some hair, moistened by rain, slipped in front of his eyes; he quickly pushed it back up. "If we can distract it from bringing anymore rain, the water level should come down; you can help us fight it then."

Marumaro growled under his breath, obviously displeased with this. However, before he could make anymore protests, Bouquet had renewed her efforts of trying to get them both back inside the hall. He kicked out and thrashed his arms as well, but she was determined, and soon she was dragging him up the watery steps.

Kluke whipped her head to look at him, "Jiro, what element was the Spellcaster vulnerable to?"

"I think it was-" Jiro was cut off by the Dragon's roar.

Both he and Kluke looked up in time to see Shu's Shadow strike the egg-shaped Mecha Robo with a Flarus Sword. The robot sparked once or twice where it had received the attack, and then the rain stopped, the drops that had already been sent out falling in a sheet. It left everything in almost complete silence.

Jiro swallowed. "Shu... How in the world did you know what to use on it?" He looked at his best friend incredulously.

Shu shrugged. "I don't know... This thing is blue, and I thought that red is kinda the opposite of blue, and fire is sort of red..." Another shrug. "... So I just used fire."

Kluke smacked her head, the sound of it echoing through the nearly-empty front of the village. Jiro just continued to gape at him.

Jiro started, though, when he felt something very, very small brush against him. His head snapped downwards, but he relaxed when he saw it was just a tiny piece of the Mecha Robo's outer covering that had come off from Shu's attack, being pushed back and forth by the still rippling rainwater pool (he noted that the surface was lowering relatively fast). His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed something. "Hey... What's this?" He pulled it from the water.

There was writing on it, in the Ancients' language. He brushed his hand over the characters, oddly-shaped bumps on the metal. Jiro knew only some of it - he certainly wasn't fluent - but he knew enough to understand what it said. _Rainbringer_. His eyes widened with no small amount of fascination. "This must be its name..."

"_Jiro_!" Kluke's yell brought him back to the present.

He looked up in time to see the Rainbringer's eye flash red, just before it launched a blast of water at him-

He yelped as something pushed him out of the way; he landed on his side, half of him submerged. From behind him, he heard a tremendous splash, as if something extremely heavy had been shot into the water with powerful force.

"Jiro!" He lifted his head to see Shu; the younger's eyes raked over him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine. Come on," he pushed himself to his feet, pulling up Shu with him. "We can't let the Rainbringer harm the village anymore."

"The _what_?" Shu arched his eyebrows.

Even though he told himself that he shouldn't, Jiro felt a little embarrassed. "That's the name of the Mecha Robo."

"But how did you..." Shu shook his head. "Ugh, never mind. I'll ask later; there's too much going on right now."

"There!" Both of the boys turned at the sound of Kluke's shout, being met with the sight of her unleashing a Flarus spell, landing a direct hit.

"Wait!" Bouquet's yell called their attention behind them, and they saw Marumaro jump into the water; though his head was above the surface because of the continuously receding level, he still struggled to move through it.

"Big Brother Maro!" Marumira and Marutora had joined Bouquet, the chieftain and the watchman on the steps.

"Marumaro, get back inside!" Shu snapped at him, using anger to cover his concern, though it was easy to see through. "We'll handle this!"

"No!" Marumaro shook his head, water droplets tossed about by the action. "These are Maro's friends and family, and Maro will be the one to protect them!"

The thing that none of them did was keep an eye on the Rainbringer.

When they saw a blue flash from behind them, they all spun around in time to see the tide of water crashing into them.

* * *

"You're sure that she is the one?"

Nene smirked. "I am certain."

"Excellent," her voice, a cold temperament, was mixed with elation and anticipation. "I've waited a very long time for this."

* * *

Jiro could only see his hands in front of him as he tried to grab onto something, anything. He distinctly felt himself being pulled by the water current, to the left. _Now what is that thing doing?_

He didn't dwell on it for long, though. He saw something - a hand, a red wristband. _Kluke!_ Without a second thought, he snatched her wrist. And then, gathering as much strength as he could, he forced himself to the surface, bringing her with him.

He came up gasping for air, Kluke, sputtering, right behind him. She opened her eyes, and he could see relief in them. "Jiro!"

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

A small nod. "I... think so..." She lifted her head to get a better look at their surroundings.

Around them, the water suddenly sunk left, as if it were in a drain, leaving them on dry land. To the side, some distance away, Shu lay on the ground, groaning and only half-conscious.

Even further to their left, all of the water had culminated in one place, almost forming a miniature-river-like body of water, which was steadily leaking out of the village. In one of the trees near to it, Marumaro dangled in one of the branches, several feet above the water.

They were about to call out to Shu or Marumaro, but never had the chance.

A cry echoed through the air. "_Please, help me_!!!"

Jiro and Kluke turned again, and if not for them breaking into runs, almost froze in horror at the sight.

In that same river-like water was Marumira, somehow having gotten in there, barely keeping her head above the water as it threatened to pull her under. The water was receding too slowly; unless she got out somehow, she would drown.

"Mira! _Mira_!!" Marumaro struggled, trying to twist free of the branch, helpless to do anything to save her, to do anything but watch his little sister about to die.

A splash was heard, and Jiro and Kluke looked down again - Shu's head bobbed up out of the water, and then he was peddling towards Marumira, forcing himself to work against the strong current.

By the time Jiro and Kluke reached all of them, Shu was already pulling himself and Marumira out of the water, collapsing in a heap. Jiro knelt down by them to see if they were alright, and Kluke was about to do the same-

"Someone get Maro down!" Marumaro flailed his arms angrily.

Kluke, almost smiling at his behavior, summoned Phoenix, and then plucked him from the branches. She set him down right beside Shu and Marumira before unsummoning her Shadow.

Marumaro had started towards his sister, but stopped, staring at Shu momentarily.

The one in question, though still struggling to breathe, raised an eyebrow at the Devee curiously.

"Shu..." Marumaro pointed to some dark locks on his forehead, plastered down by the rainwater and seeming slightly brighter because of it. "...Your hair is brown?"

Shu shut his eyes against a glare. After about half a minute, he said, "... I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

Kluke knelt down to Marumaro's level and whispered in his ear, "He's a little... touchy, about that."

Shu opened his eyes again, looking down at Marumira. "Are you okay?"

Marumira stared at him openly, her face showing undisguised adoration. "Y-y-y... Y-y-y... Y-y-yeah..." She breathed.

"My God..." Jiro muttered quietly, difficult to discern from his tone if he were exasperated or amused.

"Hey!" They all turned at the sound of Bouquet's voice; she waved to them from the town hall doorway, Marutora clustered by her leg. "Is everyone okay?!"

Before they could reply, they all cried out as everything started to shake, nearly throwing them off balance.

Kluke looked around rapidly. "What's happening?!"

"Hey! Up there!" Shu pointed to up above.

The stone pillar that towered over Lago Village was trembling - though far away, they could still see flashes of light; sky blue, and a reddish-purple.

Just as suddenly as the quaking started, it stopped.

Something, from the pillar, something that glimmered, fell quickly off of the stone. It landed in the center of the village, hitting the ground with a shattering sound.

Once they'd made their way over, they all circled around it. "What is this thing?" Jiro wondered aloud.

Marumaro prodded the sparkling, clear shards. "It's that same orb that Lady Zola found on the other stone pillar!"

"But it's broken." Shu frowned.

"It looks like more than one, though," Marumira knelt down, moving pieces about; when she sat back on her heels, it still appeared broken, but it was now apparent that it had once been more than one. "See?"

Jiro laid his fingers on the orb pieces. "What are these things, though?..."

All of them whirled around, however, at the familiar sound of a Mecha Robo. The Rainbringer floated close to the ground, its eye a blaring crimson.

They only had the time to turn before it launched a water blast at Marumaro, more powerful than the ones prior, sending him slamming into the fountain a few feet away; after the impact, he slumped to the ground, not moving.

"Big Brother Maro!" Both siblings rushed to his side, kneeling down and checking for injuries.

Shu cursed the Mecha Robo, before charging at it with a yell, Flarus Sword at the ready, Kluke and Jiro doing their best to back him up with spells.

"Maro..." Marumira tearfully ran her hand across the now-dented pot on her brother's head. How many times did this happen to him? How many times did he nearly die all the time like this, without her or her siblings having any clue? Not for the first time, she wished she could go with him on this perilous journey, if only to know whether or not he'd be alive the next day.

Jiro knelt down next to where Kluke had been knocked to the ground after she'd been hit with one of the Rainbringer's water blasts, trying to do his best to heal her. He looked up at the fighting in front of him. "Shu, we have to pull back! We can't fight this thing with only three of us! Maybe Bouquet could help-"

But Shu was already shaking his head. "We can't let it come any closer! And Bouquet can't help; if this thing gets past us, she'll need to be back there to protect the villagers!" He shouted in pain when one of the blasts hit his shoulder, staggering from the force of it.

Jiro looked down to help Kluke sit up, wondering if this would be the one battle they didn't finish.

* * *

"There's gotta be something we can do!" Marutora paced back and forth. "We've gotta try and help!"

"Help _how_, Tora?" Marumira demanded, her patience running thin. "There's nothing we can do!"

Marutora glared at her. "Maro would help!"

"Maro has magic!" Marumira snapped right back.

"And you can, too," a soft voice said from above; they looked for the woman who surely must have been the one who spoke, but saw nothing but descending light as the person continued, "if you choose it."

The last sentence was the softest of whispers. "Swallow the spheres..."

* * *

"Agh!" Jiro struggled to keep a Shield spell on Shu as the Rainbringer attacked. He felt his feet sliding backwards from the force of the water, muddy ground piling up around the backs of his boots.

The next attack brought the magic barrier down, sending Jiro flying and onto his back. Everything was spinning too much to be sure, but it felt like Shu and Kluke might be helping him up.

Jiro's head was still whirling, but he could make out the Rainbringer's eye glowing a dangerous red, could feel one of his friend's arms wrap around him defensively. He closed his eyes, hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

However, his eyes snapped open again upon hearing the most unexpected of noises. Something like a bark... and something else that sounded like a kind of moaning, akin to the noises sea creatures made...

And then two shapes, blue and sizeable, flung themselves at the Rainbringer, sending it tumbling. When the rolling stopped, it became apparent that they were Shadows - what looked like a three-headed dog, wearing leashed collars, pounding the Mecha Robo with a large bone, and, just like it had sounded, a sea creature, slicing at the Rainbringer with its tentacles.

And the owners of the Shadows were the small Devee siblings, Marumira and Marutora.

"A dog with three heads..." Shu muttered in slight awe. "And a dolph-"

"Shu, if you finish the end of that sentence..." Jiro let the sentence trail off dangerously. _It's obvious that Marumira's Shadow is a Cerberus, and Marutora's a Kraken. Don't people _read_ anymore?_

Shu grinned cheekily. "Dolphin." He looked quite pleased with himself, until- "OW!" Shu grabbed the spot on his arm that Jiro had smacked, hurting just slightly worse than it should have from one of the Rainbringer's attacks. "What was that for?!"

"Disciplinary action for arrogance." Jiro smiled at him pleasantly.

"Guys," Kluke had her hand over her mouth, in an attempt to hide any signs of repressed laughter. "We should go help."

Upon their approach, Marutora called to them, "We got 'em pinned!" And though they could have possibly done a better job, it was true - Marumira was using Cerberus' bone to hold down the Rainbringer, while Marutora had Kraken's tentacles completely wrapped around the egg-like body. "Hurry and use that cool fire-magic-thingy!"

"Tora..." Marumira's voice managed to squeeze in mortified embarrassment, tired exasperation, and grudging affection, all in one mix, in a way that only an older sister's voice could.

Kluke summoned her Shadow again, taking up an offensive stance. "Hold still, you two!" The last thing she wanted to do was burn them. She had just started to charge-

"Kluke," Jiro stared intently at the Rainbringer. "Can you try to aim for the eye? It's just a hunch, but... I think that might be the weak spot."

She smirked slightly. "You got it." Taking a deep breath, she brought her hands from her side to about shoulder height, the movement similar to an arc, before thrusting her hands forward. "_Hah_!" Phoenix mimicked her, breathing out the fire of a Flarus spell.

What happened next caught her by complete surprise.

As soon as the flames touched the eye, the Rainbringer seemed to turn a slight red all over, strangely tinting a light scarlet while still retaining its regular colors, like a heated iron, right before it exploded.

Kluke cried out as it knocked her backwards; unlike the many previous times it had thrown her to the ground during the battle, this time her head smacked against a rock. That was all she knew before everything went black.

* * *

She moaned a little as she came to. Almost immediately, she buried herself into whatever she was lying on. Kluke didn't know where she'd ended up, but she did know that it felt, nice, warm and comfortable, and she wanted to just stay where she was for just five more minutes...

But she also felt that she needed to get up. With a small mental sigh, she opened her eyes...

The ceiling of Lago Village's town hall swirled into view. _I must be on one of those beds,_ Kluke thought. _But, if I am, where is-_

"Kluke?" A voice spoke, quiet and familiar. "Kluke!" And suddenly, her line of sight was filled with dark hair and eyes, several locks falling in front of an eye.

"Jiro..." She winced as she sat up, feeling a little sore.

"You're alright." The sentence was half-statement, half-question, the strong relief in his tone being reflected in his eyes.

She nodded. "What about you? And Shu?" She was about to ask about Marumaro and his siblings, about Bouquet, but Jiro had started speaking again.

"We're all fine. The sick villagers, too; after we defeated the Rainbringer, everyone suddenly got better. I think destroying it was the key to making them all well again. It's just..." He frowned. "You've been asleep for two hours. All of us were worried sick. Bouquet even..." Jiro quieted, unsure if he should continue.

"What happened to Bouquet?" Kluke swung her legs over the side of the bed, worry pricking at her.

"She was... crying." Jiro swallowed. "I think you should talk to her, maybe, if you get the chance."

"I will." She gave a firm nod, before casting her eyes about the room, trying to get her bearings by taking in the surroundings. All of the villagers were out of bed, most of them talking with each other. She could see Marumaro's family grouped together, all of them seeming overjoyed, as if there had been many hugs and tears during the time that Kluke had been unconscious - except for Marumaro himself, sitting on the bed nearest to his parents and siblings, sulking, almost bordering on anger. She thought hard, but couldn't think of a reason why he would be so upset. _Maybe I can talk to him later. Or Shu could; out of all of us, aside from Zola, Marumaro probably gets along the best with him._ She tilted her head toward Jiro. "Where are Shu and Bouquet?"

"Last time I checked, Bouquet was sitting on the floor near to the Devee God statue. I tried to talk to her, but..." He looked downcast for a moment, but tried to hide it as he continued, "Shu's outside, pacing. He didn't want to, on quote, 'just sit around waiting, without being able to do anything to help Kluke,' off quote. I don't really see how walking around outside helps anything, but..." Jiro shrugged. "I gave up a long time ago on trying to figure out all the crazy stuff he does."

"So did I." Kluke grinned slightly, but the smile turned gentler as she laid a hand on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen when she touched him, but then he seemed even more relaxed than before. She wondered why, and wondered even more why she had noticed it. "I'll go talk to Bouquet. If you can, let Shu know I'm awake," wryly, she added, "before all that pacing of his makes the village a brand-new moat."

Jiro let out a short, sharp laugh, trying desperately to hide it, as well as the quieter laughs that came after. But his shoulders were still shaking with the held back chuckles.

After a quick farewell to Jiro, that she'd see him later, Kluke started walking through the hall, her destination being the statue at the farthest end, where she would hopefully find Bouquet.

She smiled as she watched the Devee Tribe members that were healthy again, watched the joyous exchanges with friends and family. At the same time, she closed a fist over her chest, her hand nowhere near as tight as the figurative one that had closed around her throat and heart. She remembered when her parents had hugged her like that, after Land Shark attacks, hugs filled with relief and love, because they'd all made it through the Land Shark's assault, and they were all okay.

But, one time, they weren't all okay. One time, they didn't all make it through.

She walked more briskly, the smile disappearing, only to return whenever one of the villagers would thank her for all of her help.

Kluke found her right away - the younger girl's bright, almost-pastel blue dress stood out against the dark brown wood that made up the floor and walls, which were even darker because of the shadows in this particular part of the hall.

Kluke stepped forward tentatively, stopping just in front of her. "Bouquet..."

Her head shot upwards at the sound of her name, teary violet eyes locking onto the older girl's, welled with numerable feelings. "Kluke... You're... You're awake..."

Kluke nodded. "Are you alright?" She took a seat next to her, letting her legs stretch out as she smoothed her skirt over her limbs and the floorboards. "I heard you haven't been doing so well."

Bouquet curled in on herself, pressing her forehead tightly against folded arms. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Kluke furrowed her eyebrows. "Sorry about what?"

Her voice came out a little muffled by the arm, "It's... I-it's my fault you got hurt. I should have helped you guys fight, but I didn't... I-I... I was... afraid..." Bouquet sniffed. "You were asleep so long... And all because of me. If you hadn't woken up... I could never have forgiven myself..."

Kluke's eyes widened in surprise. _I'd thought that Shu had told her to stay back there..._ She lightly laid a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "But it was good thing that you stayed where you were. Someone needed to be back there, to protect the villagers in case the rest of us weren't able to beat that Mecha Robo. You didn't do anything wrong, Bouquet." She smiled warmly.

Bouquet lifted her head, eyes searching. "... Really?"

"Really." Kluke's tone left no room for doubt. "You did a great job, kiddo. So, cheer up, okay?" She tapped the side of Bouquet's head. "You don't have to be afraid to smile."

Bouquet blinked at her a few times. Then slowly, slowly, a small, shy smile tugged her lips upwards. "Thank you, Kl-" She broke off, as if she were scared of calling the other girl by her name.

She took hold of her hand, squeezing in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "You don't have to be afraid of saying my name, either."

The pause that followed stretched so long that Kluke didn't Bouquet was going to say anything.

Until the shy smile grew a little bigger. "... Kluke."

* * *

Shu sighed. _I should be asleep._ Despite this thought, he still felt as restless as he had a moment before.

A few hours earlier, he had found out that Kluke had finally awoken. Despite her promptly teasing him for worrying about her, Shu's spirits had lifted considerably after finding out she would be okay; if something was ever wrong with Kluke, whether she be hurt or upset, Shu could never really feel at peace until whatever was bothering her had been resolved. (Things had been that way with him for years, concerning Kluke, and concerning Jiro as well.) Shortly thereafter, the villagers had prepared for them a meal that could've been better called a feast, in thanks for saving them, they said. And then, a little while after everyone had finished eating, all of them had headed for bed. So, aside from some uncharacteristic behavior from Marumaro - saying almost nothing at all and frequent glaring - everything seemed to finally be looking up.

_What's wrong with me, then? Why do I feel so... uneasy?_ He turned troubled eyes upwards, at the half moon - the small moon usually beside the largest one couldn't be seen. He didn't know if it was in its new moon cycle, or if it just couldn't be seen from here. He remembered being a little kid, watching the moon cycles with Jiro and Kluke, and suddenly felt deeply disturbed and upset that he hadn't been keeping track lately. _It's Nene's fault,_ he told himself, but blamed himself for it regardless.

He felt a little better being outside, though. He couldn't really say what, but something about Lago Village at night was peaceful, comforting. It made Shu wonder how someone as noisy as Marumaro came from such a calm place.

Shu had no particular destination in mind; he just walked about the sleeping village, letting his feet carry him to somewhere. The night felt cool, but not even close to how cold it got at nighttime in Talta; the desert had a way of sneaking up on you, burning hot during the day, yet rather chilly in the evening. He brushed his hand over the walkway's railing, feeling the bumps on the wooden surface - imperfections that were meant to be there, that belonged.

Suddenly, he found himself at the entrance to the caverns. He paused, wondering if he should go in. The caves seemed even darker than they were during the daytime, the flickering flames that lit the way made even more obvious in the shadows from the night. Shu couldn't say that he felt entirely comfortable about going inside. _But, I came this far, for whatever reason. I might as well keep going._ He took several steps forward, gravel crunching under his boots.

The first time he'd been in here, looking for Marumaro when he'd run off, he had gotten lost at almost every turn. Now, though, he knew the way, and managed to reach the spot that overlooked the village with no trouble at all.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure, pale in the moonlight. Turning his head fully, he saw her, sitting on that flat rock near the edge. Bouquet.

_I should go,_ he thought immediately. _She probably wants to be alone._ He started to go back the way he'd come-

"You can stay," she said softly, "if you want to."

"You don't mind?" He asked her after recovering from the surprise.

She shook her head, pigtails swinging; her black hair shone under the white-yellow light. "No. I wanted to talk to you, anyway."

"Oh." He blinked. _Well, that wasn't what I expected._ He crossed the distance, then crouched down next to where she sat. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

She moved over on the rock, and then patted the free space. Once he had seated himself, she spoke again. "I... wanted to apologize."

He shot her a confused look. "For what?"

"Everything." Her voice sounded even quieter than before. "For not helping earlier today. For being such a burden since you met me. For betraying you to Nene."

"You didn't betray me," he told her, voice unwavering. "You didn't have any choice. I thought we'd been over that already."

"I was an idiot," she shut her eyes tightly. "To believe someone like... like him, like that murderer, I'd have to be. I almost led the only true friend I had to his death."

Shu snorted. "Nene's going to have to do a lot better than _that_ to kill me." He shook his head. Suddenly, his earlier coversation with Kluke sprung up in his mind; in an instant, he knew what words to say next. "You can't blame yourself for things that you don't have any control over. None of those things were your fault. No one holds any of that against you, so neither should you."

After a brief silence, she let her eyes meet his. "So... does that mean you still want to be my friend, then?"

"Of course." He grinned. "You'll always be my friend, Bouquet. Whatever happens, nothing will ever change that."

She smiled, then, and Shu couldn't ever remember seeing her look so happy, so unworried. "And you'll always be my friend, too, Shu."

* * *

_I can't believe it,_ Kluke thought incredulously. _It's another day, and Marumaro is _still_ sulking._ That thought was mostly just in passing, though - they had a more pressing concern at the moment.

"Nothing?" Jiro asked them, baffled. "Nothing at all?"

Marumira shook her head. "We tried everything you said, but it didn't work."

Marutora knelt down, poking the black and ordinary shadow of himself on the ground. "Why did it work yesterday and not today?"

"Has anything changed since yesterday?" Jiro looked back and forth between them. "Did either of you do anything that you normally wouldn't do?"

Marumira shook her head slowly. "Not that I can think of... What about you, Tora?"

"I don't think so." He shrugged.

Jiro leaned back, hand under his chin. "Well, this is certainly perplexing..."

"What is?" All of them turned at the sound of Shu's sleepy question.

"Marumira and Marutora can't summon their Shadows," Kluke explained. "They've been trying since they woke up. Jiro's been giving them advice, trying to coach them with the ways the rest of us usually call on our Shadows. But so far, no luck."

Shu stood akimbo. "How weird..."

"What do you think would cause something like this?" Kluke wondered aloud. "The three of us," she gestured to herself, Shu and Jiro, "and Marumaro weren't able to use our Shadows before, but that was because of what Nene had done."

"I have no idea," Jiro winced at the words as they came out of his mouth. _I hate saying that..._ "Worse, I don't even know where we'd begin to look. We've discovered a lot about Shadows, but I'd imagine that there's a lot that we still don't know."

"Nene might know what's causing it- guys, don't look at me like that," Shu scowled, folding his arms. "I said 'maybe he knows', not 'maybe we should go and ask him'. Besides, for all we know, he's the one who's behind this."

Jiro nodded his agreement. "That's quite possible. Though I have to wonder why he wouldn't try it on the rest of us." He sighed, closing his eyes, hand on the back of his head. "It's a puzzle, alright, and one that likely won't be solved right away. We should collect ourselves, maybe have something quick to eat - we should try and figure out about this problem before we go, but we need to head for Devour Village soon. Very soon. Except for Fushira, Marumira, and Marutora receiving Shadows, nothing good really happened in either Talta or Lago, and I have a feeling it'll be the same in Devour. So we should get there as soon as possible."

After a series of nods and confirmations, Shu headed back inside Marumaro's house to get Bouquet and Marumaro, while the other four started towards the town hall. However, Marutora stopped at his sister's hand on his shoulder, her whisper in his ear. "We need to talk..."

* * *

Jiro exhaled, frustrated, unable to resist the urge to run his hand through his hair. It was a nervous habit that he would definitely break. Tomorrow. Or possibly next year.

"Find anything yet?" Kluke questioned lightly, looking over his shoulder at the book he had been studiously examining for the past fifteen minutes.

"Absolutely nothing," was Jiro's weary answer. "In all of these books, you see plenty of mentions of magic, and even of different kinds. But not one substantial piece of information about Shadows themselves."

"Maybe we should try to solve this after we go to Devour Village," Kluke suggested. "We can just come back to Lago Village afterwards."

"I suppose we could do that..." He spoke slowly, reluctantly. "Do you think they'll mind? Waiting, I mean."

She shook her. "I doubt they would. Not if they knew another village could be subjected to what happened here, or worse." The last word she regretted saying, as it made a chill run down her spine; she didn't like to think of what exactly 'worse' meant.

Jiro nodded. "True. I guess after breakfast, we'll get our things and set out." He closed the book, his hand remaining over it. "Kluke... I-" He stopped himself.

"What is it, Jiro?" Her expression became one of confusion.

He shook his head quickly. "It's... nothing. Don't worry about it. I-" He stood up from the chair abruptly; with the book still in hand, brushing past her without a second glance. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Kluke watched him go. _So many times around me, he'll start a sentence, and never finish it. When I turn my head and see him looking at me, he'll look away and try to make it seem like he hadn't been. If he touches me, or if I touch me, he'll either freeze up or move away as quickly as if he'd been burned._ It had been with him like this, for such a long time it seemed, and yet she still didn't know why. She wondered if she ever would.

* * *

"Jiro, can you pass me that wrench?" Shu reached behind him, immediately feeling the cool metal tool placed in his hand. He went to work on tightening some of the mechat screws. "Thanks."

"No problem," Shu heard him answer. "I don't see why you have to do this, though. You did it before the last time we flew, and the time before, both of which were only yesterday."

"The mechat has to be kept in good repair." Shu was consistently unmovable about the mechat's care, and he wasn't about to change that now.

A sigh, the kind that Jiro usually accompanied with a shake of his head. Shu had seen it so many times, he could visualize it without even having to turn around and see it happen. "You're obsessive, you know that?"

Shu shrugged, but didn't get a chance to reply.

"Shu! Jiro!" Kluke called to them. "Come over here!"

"But, the mechat-" Shu yelped as he was pulled upwards by the arm.

"Can wait." Jiro finished as he dragged him along.

They found Kluke a few feet away from the fountain, Marumaro and Bouquet at her sides; in front of them stood the chieftain, Marumaro's family, and several other Lago villagers. After Jiro had brought over himself and Shu, the chieftain began to speak.

"We just wanted to thank you, for saving the village yet again, and also to wish you well as you continue your journey. Aside from the meal this morning, there isn't much that we can offer you, but-"

Shu held out a hand. "Don't worry about it; you don't need to do anything for us. We couldn't just let that thing ruin the village. We were glad to help."

"I'm sorry that we can't stay longer," Kluke folded her hands in front of her. "But there's another village that Nene may be attacking, so we need to get there quickly."

"You needn't worry," the chieftain said. "All of you are always welcome here."

"Marumaro," his mother started. "If you ever get the chance, please come and visit. We have faith in you, but that does nothing to stop us from worrying about your well-being."

"No need to worry," he shook his head. "Maro will be fine. Maro's friends take care of Maro, and Maro takes care of them, so nothing bad will happen to Maro."

"It's- _ow_!" Jiro broke off as his foot was stepped on, glaring at Kluke as she looked away innocently, ignorant of the bewildered stares he received.

"Off with you, then," the chieftain said, not unkindly. "All of us are only holding you up." He bowed. "May your endeavors succeed, and may you also come back safely to your friends and family."

* * *

"What's up, Marumaro?" Shu asked as they walked back to the mechat. "I've never seen you in such a bad mood before."

"Maro is fine." He answered, but the grumpiness in his voice seemed more than a little contradictory.

Shu snorted. "Like I'm going to buy that." When he was met with only silence, he added, "You can talk to us, you know. Any of us. If there's something bothering you, we'll listen-"

"Big Brother Maro!" The two voices they heard chorus made the group stop in their tracks; behind them, they saw Marumira and Marutora running towards them.

"Tora, Mira, what are you doing here?" Marumaro didn't sound angry, but he didn't necessarily sound happy, either.

"What do you think, Marumaro?" Shu spoke up in the younger siblings' defense, not able to help feeling a little annoyed with Marumaro's behavior. "You're leaving again. They came to say goodbye."

"Actually, we don't have to do that," Marumira interrupted, surprising everyone except Marutora. "We don't need to, because Tora and I are coming with you."

"WHAT?!" Everyone except the Devee siblings screamed - Marutora and Marumira because they already knew, and Marumaro because he was too astonished to do anything but gape at his brother and sister.

When Marumaro found his voice again, the words came out in a loud rush. "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO. _NO_!! No _way_ are you two coming!!"

"We are, too!" Marutora stomped his foot. "Me and Mira have magic now, so there's no reason for us to stay home!"

Marumaro thought frantically for a moment, before coming up with, "Mommy and Daddy will never let you leave!"

"I already talked to Mommy and Daddy last night," Marumira smirked. "I told them that we need to go, since we do, and about our Shadows. They knew they couldn't tell me otherwise, so they said as long as we stayed with you, we could go."

"NO!" Marumaro shouted before spinning on his heel, unwilling to look at either of them. "You two are NOT coming with Maro, and that's THAT!!"

After cringing because of Marumaro's loudness, Jiro tried to reason with him. "Maybe you shouldn't dismiss it so quickly, Marumaro. There's a better chance of us figuring out why they can't summon their Shadows if they came with us."

"NO!"

Marumira shrugged. "It doesn't matter what you say, Maro. You aren't the one in charge."

His head snapped around in a hurry. "Yes Maro is! Maro is your brother, so Maro is the one in charge!"

"Nuh uh," Marutora shook his head, then pointed at Shu. "He is."

"Oh." Shu blanched. "Oh, no. Wait a minute. _Wait_. Don't - I, I don't have any say in this."

Very suddenly, two small Devee siblings were in front of him. "But you're the leader, aren't you?" Marumira said sweetly. "That means you get to decide who's in the group."

"U-um, well..." He nervously scratched at his face with a single finger. "That's not exactly-"

"We won't cause trouble; we promise!" Once again suddenly, each of them had wrapped around one of his legs. "_Pleeease_, Big Brother Shu!"

"WHAT?!" Again, the unison.

Marumaro was steaming, his stance - gripped fists and spread feet - saying he could go into one of his infamous tantrums at any second. "Get off him _now_!!! Maro is your big brother, not him!! Maro is!!!"

"Help!" Shu all but wailed.

"Marumaro," Kluke attempted to intervene. "You may not want them to go, but Jiro brought up a good point - this could help them. And Marumira brought up a good point, too; you may not want them to go, but the one who would really decide that is the leader of our group. Zola might have had the position if she was here, but she isn't. And even if she were, though I still don't understand how it ended up being him, the one who leads us would still probably be Shu." Because she couldn't help herself, she added, "Even though he's short."

Shu looked like he could happily throw something at her. "Yeah, love you, too, Kluke."

He said nothing, but Jiro paled at Shu's choice of words. _Kluke would tease him like that all the time, and Shu would always say that kind of thing back to her. But in the old days, my reaction would have been to laugh. Not now, though, now that I..._

Marumaro sputtered. "But- but they're _Maro's_ little brother and sister! Shu shouldn't get to decide!"

"But now they have Shadows," Kluke said. "And even if it might be a little harsh to say so, Nene isn't any weakling - we need all the help we can get. And it's not like we wouldn't protect them, keep them out of situations that were too dangerous; you know just as well as the rest of us that we watch out for each other. Besides, they seem pretty determined to go."

Marumaro's fury, which had waned slightly, came back in full. "It doesn't matter if they want to! Maro said 'NO'!!"

"This is getting us nowhere," Jiro turned his head toward Shu. "And we don't have the time to waste. They're either coming with us, or they aren't. But this is your choice to make, Shu."

"Me?" The word came out a bit meekly. When Jiro's steady gaze didn't waver, Shu sighed and closed his eyes, brows knitting in thought.

Several moments passed, where a few of them held their breath as they awaited Shu's decision. But, finally, he looked up, dark eyes gazing at the siblings with seriousness. "Marumira. Marutora."

Both leaned forward hopefully.

"... You can come with us."

"_Yes_!" Both jumped into the air, letting out excited cheers.

Marumaro glared at him viciously. "How could you, Shu?!"

Shu couldn't meet his eye, but was spared answering - though he couldn't say he liked what had interrupted him.

The mechat had started to make that sound again, like Bouquet had discovered it doing in Talta. When the dots had gotten larger, started flashing faster.

"Everyone, get on board!" Before he'd finished shouting, Shu was already hauling himself up the mechat ladder.

As his feet carried him swiftly through the cabin, hearing the others' footsteps clamoring after him, Shu felt in an inexplicable panic grip him. Something, somewhere, was wrong.

When he had made it to the deck, had looked at the radar, he still wasn't entirely sure, but he had more of any idea why.

The dot that symbolized Jibral had returned to normal, looking like all of the other regular ones that marked the places. But that wasn't what made his heart skip a beat, made that same panic surge up in him in a wave he was unable to force down.

The dot for Devour Village blinked almost blindingly fast, and had turned red.

The Radiant Flour and Zephyr Chocolate in his pocket felt as heavy as lead.

And then he was in the pilot's chair, snapping on the seatbelt and grabbing for the ship controls with a haste he didn't know he had.

_Hang on, Sahlia._ His hands tightened. _Just hang on a little longer. You told me I helped you to see that your life was worth living for,_ the engine whirred on, the mechat lifting into the air,_ so, just hang on a little more, so I can keep you from losing it this soon._

… **And Chapter 15 done! :) Took me long enough… XP Though it wasn't one of the bigger reasons, another thing that made the next update take so long is that I made this chapter longer than it was originally supposed to be; I kind of wanted to make up for it being so late. I'm worried, though, that some parts of it are too rushed and/or not descriptive enough. I tried to fix it up where I could, but… Anyway. :P If you can, please review and let me know what you think! :) I'll try to update this after 10 hits, though the main thing that will decide the next update is the poll on my profile. The poll results will be cleared, so please remember to vote again/for the first time (if you want)! So, that's all I have to say for now. Hopefully, I'll see you soon! :D**


	17. Chapter 16

**This chapter is **_**finally**_** finished! I'm so sorry about how long it took; lately – the past three months, really – I have been stressed out like you wouldn't believe, and it's been difficult to write under those circumstances. However, I've finally gotten past it (though that's probably pretty obvious). :) There's at least one thing I need to mention (possibly more if I think of anything that should be brought up), but first, I'll do the review replies.**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Well… It'll take some time, but her identity will be revealed eventually. Yep! :) Though Marumaro isn't all that happy about it… I am, though; I love writing those two, Marumira especially. :D I'm sorry for the extremely long wait, but it's here finally! :) You're welcome. :D Okay; I'll check it out as soon as I can (it might take a little time, because I've been having some slight issues with my e-mail, and I usually go through there first to check about my reviews and PMs…).

**whitewolf105: **Thanks! :D Glad to hear it; I'd had some real problems writing that scene, so it's a relief to hear it came out okay. :) Me, too; even before Plus, she was my favorite out of all of Marumaro's siblings. Same here – though I sometimes ended up having her be a backup healer. *sweatdrops* That will be revealed in time, though it'll probably be a while before her identity is revealed. Hm, you may be right about that… ;) Oh… No problem. :)

**Jiro za Kyuuketsuki:** It's okay; I'm really late on updating. XD Don't worry about it. :) True, but I think you'll probably be right; the identity of the voice is more obvious than they at first appear. ;) But like you said, at least they finally gave it a release date; just two more months to go! :D Yeah… I will be, too. :( Since there were so few – and none of them all that substantial - I'm planning to bring in some Jiro x Kluke moments in the Plus adaptation. (And some Shu x Kluke as well, though there will probably be more emphasis on Shu x Sahlia or the triangle, Sahlia x Shu x Kluke.) The moments won't be terribly big, because I have to keep it from affecting the main storyline, but I think it's necessary to add them; there were tons of hints for both pairings and at least a small one for the triangle in the first game, and then hardly anything in Plus. XP It just seems really unusual to me that there wasn't much happening between those four when there had been so much before. I'm not as eager to do the Shu x Kluke moments as I am with the Jiro x Kluke ones, but since there were so many hints in the first game, I should at least try and put some (it seems a bit unfair, otherwise). Anyway, I'm getting _way_ off track… That's almost the opposite for me; I don't like Shu x Kluke too much in the anime, either season (in fact, I find it very hard to write that pairing in the second season, but that's kind of besides the point…). I do, however, sometimes get into Shu x Kluke "moods" and want to write about them. :P I know; that seems awfully strange to me, especially after Sahlia joins in Plus. It seems that as teammates, they'd at least talk to each other once. :P I'll have to see to that in the adaptation. ;) Aw… I'm going to miss it… :( But that's why I'm going to keep writing fan fiction for it. XD Nickname, maybe? I don't know. XD (_Both Kluke's: Thank you! Finally, someone understands! *stares at each other*_) I thought you were. XD My main guess was a combination of the name you went by and your writing style. Really? I thought someone would've at least guessed… Oh, it's fine; I like doing review replies, so I don't mind. :) (By the way, is it okay to still call you Inita? Jiro would complain if I called you Jiro - *unintelligible grumbling in the background* - but I could go with Kyuuketsuki instead if you prefer that). Thanks; glad to hear it. :D Thank you. :) That's good; as usual, I was worried about how in-character or not they were - but doubly so for this chapter, because I thought most, if not the whole thing, had turned out bad. There should be more love triangle stuff on the way. ;) I felt bad for him when I wrote it – still kind of do, actually – but I thought it was a Shu-like thing to do, so… (_Jiro: That isn't a word…_) Thanks; to me, it seemed like it wasn't nearly as good of a way compared to how Fushira got his Shadow, so I'm glad that you liked it. :D (_Jiro: It's not fair at all…_) (_It's only because you're doing a lot…_) (_Jiro: Then stop making me do a lot!_) Jiro had been the closest to Marumaro in that scene, and since Bouquet and Kluke had been preoccupied, it seemed like a good opportunity for them to interact. I like writing and reading about lots of combinations of character interactions, especially with characters that don't interact too often. I don't really know why; it just seems interesting to me. XD I decided to make the whole idea of Shu mistaking the Shadow names into a collective running gag, instead of just a single gag for Rafflesia. He may not do it for all of the new Shadows that may (possibly) be introduced, but Kraken definitely won't be the last. ;D That was kind of an inside joke, actually; I didn't know Shu's hair was dark brown until the first time I saw a picture of him on my computer (before, I'd thought it was black). And with his hair being pressed down on his forehead and being wet, it makes it stand out more that it's brown. Me, too; in the anime, I always thought they could get along well if they weren't fighting so much about Shu (though in a few instances, they actually do, despite being short moments). There's still a possibility that their friendship could become strained, though, with the upcoming introduction of Jiro x Bouquet… I have a hazy idea of the Jiro x Bouquet scenes in my head, but I haven't written them out yet, so even I don't know how that's going to turn out. What _did_ Shu say…? I forgot; did he say something bad? (Sorry; I'm forgetful. *sweatdrops*) He nearly did throw a tantrum. Well… This is perhaps a bit of a spoiler, but… Yes, all of them will be appearing. :) I think most of them have already appeared, actually (though only Fushira, Marumira and Marutora have their Shadows); the only ones who have yet to appear are Poo Snake, Yasato, Toripo, and Himiko. And this might be a bit of a spoiler again, but Sahlia will be showing up _very_ soon. ;) And… I think I might be about to give you a bit of a spoiler again. (I'm sorry!) Sahlia will definitely be talking with Jiro, though it will be a little ways off. It's actually going to end up being one of the main side events. Thanks again! :D Sorry for the long wait, but it's finally here! :)

**Inita:** Not at all; you're more than welcome to use it! :) Oh… That's okay; I don't mind. :) That's fine, go ahead. Nope, it doesn't bother me at all. The only thing I'd like to have permission for is story ideas, plots, etc. Please let me know before you use those, but with anything else, feel free. :)

**Review replies done! Two things I need to mention real quick: First of all, I was going to change how I did the poll – and I'm still going to do that, but after thinking about it, I decided to change what I'm going to be changing. Second, I'm going to be cutting out some of the author's notes. I'm doing this so that there will be a more accurate word count, and I want to avoid cutting down on review replies for as long as I can. Anyway, that should be all I have to mention for now – read on! :D**

_Chapter 16: Gyakkyou (Adversity)_

It's dark, where she is.

She doesn't quite remember how she got here, or what she had been doing before. All of it is hazy in her mind. She's walking forward, for some reason; that's about as much as she knows.

But she feels sad. Unbearably sad. She hadn't felt this sorrowful since... since...

But she stops thinking of that, because she doesn't want to feel any sadder. It's already too much; she doesn't think she can handle more.

But the image of her parents swirls in to view of her mind's eye. She's almost relieved that she sees them, even if it hurts; she's been terrified, especially lately, that she would forget their faces.

And then the image shifts, turning to a small boy, the other person important to her who had their life taken away too soon. Maybe if he had lived, her parents wouldn't have felt the need to save her so strongly - maybe they would still be alive. She can't recall whether or not she told Shu about him...

_Shu._ She feels a stab of guilt; he probably wouldn't be very pleased if he saw her now, wallowing in her own sorrows til she's nearly drowning in them. She tries to fight, for him, so what he's done won't be in vain, but then the sadness is back, pressing down on her, heavy and insistent. She cannot fight it. So she walks instead, letting it engulf her again.

But she notices something now that she didn't before - at the end of wherever she is walking, there is a light. She decides that it would be better to see where she is rather than not, so she makes that light up ahead her goal.

She makes it there quickly, and once she's pushed through and out of the darkness, she's quite surprised about where she is.

Flowers, of all colors, as far as the eye can see; grass accompanying it, both waving in the slight breeze. The sky is wonderfully blue above her, with gentle wisps of clouds in the distance.

The smell is so nice, she finds herself forgetting whatever she had been thinking about before. She can't remember what it was now, but it hadn't been all that pleasant, anyway, so she decides she'll worry about it later.

She's following the floral scent, as potent as perfume, and is mostly oblivious to everything, though her eyes are still open and she's taking in the sight of all the lovely blooms surrounding her...

Until she sees, just ahead of her, a small figure sitting among the blossoms, their light red hair standing out since there aren't shades of that color in that particular spot, and when she realizes that it _is_ him, she feels as if her entire world is about to come to pieces.

When her voice finally comes, it is so choked with disbelief and pain that Sahlia can hardly recognize it as her own. "Abraham?"

* * *

They didn't have much farther to go, Kluke noted. The terrain had changed several minutes ago, to the more snowy lands, so they would probably reach Devour Village fairly soon.

A sudden clattering sound called her attention downwards, and she arched an eyebrow. "Bouquet?" The younger girl was shivering, her teeth chattering loudly, the sound she'd heard a moment earlier.

"C-c... C-c... C-cold..." She barely managed to get out through her constantly moving teeth.

Kluke knelt down in front of her, holding the other girl's arms; they felt as cold as ice. "Oh, Bouquet, why didn't you _say_ something?" _But she has a Shadow; why isn't the cold resistance kicking in...?_ She'd worry about it later, though. "Hang on a second; I'll be right back." With that, Kluke quickly headed for the cabin.

When she returned, she had a warm blanket in hand, which she immediately draped around Bouquet. "Is that better?"

Bouquet nodded; she still shivered, but her teeth had stopped. "Y-yes... A li-little..."

"Just hold on a little longer. We're going to reach Devour Forest soon, and the temperature isn't quite as cold over there." She gave Bouquet's shoulder a reassuring pat, rewarded right away by a small smile from the other girl.

"What's it like there?" Bouquet asked. "The village and the forest, I mean."

"Well-"

"Yeah, what's it like?" Kluke was interrupted as Marutora leaned towards her inquisitively. Behind him, Marumira rolled her eyes (or it appeared that way, at least; as with her older brother, with the way their eyes were, you were never entirely sure).

"Well..." Kluke started again, sounding a little more amused this time. She was glad Shu had let the Devee siblings come; even though none of them had any idea what they would face next, Marumira and Marutora had an optimism that could be rivaled only by their brother (who currently, ironically contradictorily, still continued to do little more than sulk). "When we first arrived, it was pretty gloomy. We were trapped there by an evil tree that had been eating people for years. Nene had taken away our ability to use Shadows, so there was little that we could do. But, like he usually does, Shu found a way..."

* * *

Zola examined her sword for anything out of place; sunlight glinted on the flawless metal. Satisfied that there was nothing wrong with it, she returned the blade to its sheath. After it clicked into place, she closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of the plant life. She always found that coming up here to the castle gardens helped to clear the mind. And, though it didn't usually happen, that was something she desperately needed right now.

The scientist's discovery had been.... unsettling, to say the least. There were still a few facts she wasn't entirely clear about, but she understood enough.

She would be setting off with the group of the king's most capable men in an hour or two. The information they had uncovered required further investigation; no matter how much she wanted to put this off until Shu and the others returned, this was something that could not wait. Zola knew this, but that didn't mean it troubled her any less.

She thought of Marumaro the last time she had seen him, thought of the hope and misery mixed on his face, and had to scrunch her eyes shut.

"I thought I might find you here."

She turned quickly at the voice behind her. Then, with her arm in front of her, she bowed. "Your Majesty." Zola thought of the last time the two of them had been here together; she was suddenly very aware of the ring on her finger that she had yet to remove (even in sleep), and felt her pulse leap (in that moment, she was very grateful of how good she could be at masking her emotions). _Look at you,_ she thought wryly, only half-chiding. _Getting all worked up over a man._

Well, it wasn't as if it was the first time.

Zola had to push down the bitterness the rose up in her at the recollection of those memories.

"Are you... almost prepared to leave?" The King cleared his throat. He sounded almost nervous.

"Yes, I'm just about ready. I'm not yet sure of the others, but it shouldn't be much longer."

"Zola..." He looked down for a moment. When he returned his gaze to hers, his eyes were blazing with something she couldn't identify. "Is there no other way? Are you certain that you must do this now?" He sounded almost desperate.

"Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be wise to wait." Her voice came out soft. "We need to move quickly, before Nene realizes that we know."

"I... understand." He gave a short, reluctant nod. "Do you..." He cleared his throat again. "Do you still happen to have the ring that I gave to you?"

"Of course." Zola was surprised that he would even ask. "It hasn't left my hand, and I don't intend it to."

King Jibral's face tinged a light pink, but he looked much more joyful than he had a moment before. "I... see. That's... That's good."

"Yes," she said it awkwardly; she didn't really know what else to say.

"Well, then," he straightened. "I'd best be off. You have a large task ahead of you; I wouldn't want to disturb you." He had turned to go-

"Your Majesty." Her voice sounded a little higher than she had intended.

He looked at her over his shoulder, bemused. "Yes, Zola?"

"You... wouldn't be disturbing me," she had difficulty getting the words out," if you'd like to stay."

"... You wouldn't mind?"

She smiled brightly then. "Not at all."

* * *

Shu swallowed past the thickness in his throat as the gnarled trees of Devour Forest came into view. His airways started to feel a little more constricted as those same trees passed underneath the mechat a moment later. They would be there in a matter of minutes, and the anxiety Shu felt before had just increased tenfold.

He felt a sudden hand on his shoulder; he tensed until he heard the quiet and familiar voice near his ear. "Calm down," Jiro told him. "She'll be fine."

Shu gave a small nod, his hair bouncing against his forehead. He resisted the urge to push it back. "Yeah. You're right."

Shu tried to ignore the awful taste the words left in his mouth, as if he were telling a lie.

* * *

When she disembarked from the mechat, Bouquet couldn't help looking around in slight awe. She'd never seen a place quite like this before.

Everything seemed so... lifeless, she supposed was the closest word for it. Even the soil seemed void of energy.

But, once they entered the village, she thought that maybe she had judged too quickly.

Though the village seemed to be just as dismal-looking as the outskirts, the sun seemed to shine down on the place almost cheerfully, and the atmosphere of the place, of the people, was undeniably happy.

But, as she found out momentarily, not everything was at peace.

A small group of children hurried towards them, yelling frantically. It wasn't until they got close that Bouquet could understand what they were saying.

They were yelling for help.

Along with something else.

Something about someone named Sahlia.

* * *

She couldn't remember ever being so happy.

Now seated on the grass, Sahlia was brushing her fingers lovingly through the locks of the little boy seated beside her. Just being near him filled her with an indescribable joy; she had thought she would never see him alive again. "Abe..."

"I missed you, Big Sister." He looked up her, his eyes as brown as her own.

"And I missed you," she hugged him tight. "So much, Abe. So much..."

For a second, she thought she saw nearly-black eyes, spiky dark brown hair, but the not-there picture vanished as she was enveloped in the bliss of her own private miracle.

* * *

"What did you say?" Distantly, Shu could hear that his words were shaky.

"W-we tried to stop her," the shortest girl said tearfully. "B-but we couldn't go any further."

"Sahlia..." Shu had to force himself not to break into a run.

According to the children, they had been with her out in the village outskirts collecting the few berries, nuts, and mushrooms that could be scavenged. The supply had been unusually small, so they had gone closer to the forest than they normally would. When they had gotten especially close to the forest, Sahlia had abruptly dropped her basket, all of her findings spilling out and onto the ground. She had then started walking towards the forest, towards a path none of them had ever seen before, in the direction of the strange stone pillar that had appeared yesterday after an unexpected earthquake. They had tried to stop her, but she'd ignored them as if she couldn't hear their voices or feel their hands attempting to hold her back. Once she had reached a certain point, the forest had somehow kept them from going further - none of them had been able to accurately explain this part - with the exception of Sahlia.

_This has to be Nene's doing,_ Shu's hands tightened on his crossed arms; his nails were starting to hurt, nearly cutting him, but he couldn't will himself to let go, unable to help himself in his anger. _If anything's happened to her..._

"If we could've just tried harder," one of the boys lowered his head, "maybe we could've done something..."

"Don't worry," Kluke said firmly. "We'll bring her back."

"We should get to Devour Forest as fast as we can," Jiro looked towards the village exit. "We need to hurry, before something bad happens."

_Before something bad happens._ In a short while, he'd come to regret those words.

Partly, it happened right away.

The latter half of Jiro's sentence was all it took for Shu to dart out of the village like his feet were in fire, the others just barely trailing behind him.

The outskirts were unusually quiet; no Ancients Moths or Kelolon Defenders hindered their progress. They reached the edge of the forest in only a few minutes.

Shu, Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro, having been here before, spotted the new path immediately. Above the bowed branches that shaded the practically untouched dirt trail, the towering stone pillar could be seen.

While the others had momentarily stopped upon arriving, Shu kept running, even as every footfall made his feet ache painfully.

"Shu, hang on!" Jiro shouted at him before heading after him, slightly out of breath; the previous run had made him a little tired. Nothing that a short stop wouldn't solve, but he hadn't even had the slightest of breaks, so it made him slower.

Too slow.

When Shu passed between two trees, the air around him shimmered with a colorful prism. He continued going as if nothing had happened, seemingly unaware of it.

"_Shu_!" Pretty much everyone yelled his name, but Jiro and Kluke were the loudest.

When they reached the spot that Shu had passed, almost all of them cried out as they smacked against something as solid as a wall - even though it was nothing that could be seen. When Jiro placed his hand against it and pressed, that same prismatic color that had appeared before shone in the air like rippling water. But he couldn't push through.

"Shu..." His name escaped from Jiro in a hoarse whisper.

* * *

The path was so unchanging that Shu didn't really know long he'd been running, though he imagined that it couldn't have been that long.

His feet finally got to the point where they wouldn't carry him any further without a rest, so he stopped, leaning against a tree with one hand as he tried to catch his breath.

Shu started looking over his shoulder. "Hey, Jiro-" And then he froze.

He was alone.

_Okay, Shu, take it easy,_ he tried to calm himself, though he mostly failed. _You were running pretty fast; they probably just fell behind. You can't afford to waste any time; just keep going, and they'll catch up eventually._ After inhaling deeply, he moved onward, his pace slower than before but still fast.

His eyebrows furrowed as he continued; as he got further down the path, he noticed that there were an awful lot of roots around. For a split second, he thought he saw one of them move, but quickly dismissed it as one of the oddities of Devour Forest, focusing instead on what lay ahead of him.

He came to a stop, wide-eyed, as he reached a part of the road that was almost completely obscured by what looked like roots and vines.

With an aggravated sigh, he started to push through...

A few scratches (some bleeding) and colorful swears later, he emerged on the other side. And stared in disbelief.

Several feet in front of him resided a tree - a _living_ tree - that he had come to know as the Eat-Yeet. Its bark was incredibly pale compared to before, but it otherwise looked the same. Its eyes were closed, the wooden lids glowing a purplish red.

And at its base was a figure, their red dress torn, in a cradle of tangled roots.

Sahlia.

"Sahlia!!" Shu dashed toward her, almost blindly, her name echoing repeatedly in his head through the blood pounding in his ears-

He fell to the ground with a cry as something wrapped around his feet, the impact as hard as a blow. He only had time to turn himself slightly before the roots were crawling up his legs, around his waist, twisting around his arms - they were all over. "No," he pushed against them helplessly, "_No_!!!" He tried desperately to get his feet on the ground so he could summon his Shadow, but the roots were purposefully holding him away from it.

His vision blurred, and then there was a voice whispering in his head. _Sleep... Sleep now, and forget your troubles..._

"N-no..." Against his will, his eyelids started to droop.

_Sleep, sleep... Sleep and forget all your pain..._ The whispers were soft and persuasive.

"S... Sahlia..." His eyes closed the rest of the way, his vision flooding with darkness.

* * *

He felt warm.

But it was more than that. He felt comfortable. Safe.

He had to be imagining it. He hadn't felt like this, at least to this degree, in over ten years.

He opened his eyes, in the hopes of figuring out what was going on...

With no small amount of astonishment, he saw the ceiling of his room. _But, how can that be...?_ He threw the sheets off of himself, swinging his feet over the side of his bed (when had he gotten into his bed?). His mind was whirling. How could he be back in his home?

He heard something - footsteps, coming up the steps to the attic-like area he shared with his grandfather. _It must be Grandpa,_ Shu thought with relief._ Maybe he can tell me what's going on-_

But the person who came up the stairs did not have gray, but black hair, the ends reaching their back with shorter strands spilling over their shoulders. Their eyes, their features, were very alike his own.

Shu could hardly breathe, so it surprised him more than anything that he could speak. "... Mom?"

* * *

"Jiro, you're making Maro dizzy." It was the first thing Marumaro had said in about an hour, excluding shouting Shu's name. He was somehow managing to still be miffed about his siblings coming with them and be worried for Shu at the same time.

"It won't help us get past this," Marutora added. "Will it?"

Jiro stopped pacing, finally, running a hand through his hair. "No, but..." _But I can't stand the fact that we're stuck here while Shu could be in danger._

"There's nothing we can do," Kluke said quietly from where she had seated herself on a rock. She'd hardly spoken or moved since Shu had passed through the invisible wall. "For now, we can only wait."

"Shu..." Bouquet's hands were clasped in front of her as she stared ahead. "Please be careful..."

* * *

"'Morning, kiddo," Naomi flashed a smile. "Breakfast is ready."

Shu stumbled forward, his feet barely holding him up. "Mom... Mom, is that..." How could this be true? _The- the Land Shark - I _watched_ her die._ But, there she was, right in front of him, as alive as when he'd been two years old.

"Is that an omelet you smell? Yes." She laughed lightly. When she saw his expression, she shot him a concerned look. "Shu, dear, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

He couldn't help himself. He ran forward and crushed her in a hug. _She's solid... She's really here..._ He breathed in shaky, almost sobbing gasps.

"Shu, are you feeling okay?" She wrapped her arms around him securely. "Is something wrong?"

Something pricked at him, in the back of his mind. He needed to do something... Before he'd woken up in his bed, he had been... He had been...

He couldn't remember what he'd been doing.

But Shu, having his mother brought back to him, couldn't care less. "No, Mom. No," the tears fell down his face without restraint, but he couldn't have felt happier. "Everything's right again."

* * *

He was sitting on the floor, legs stretched out in front of him, bare feet a few inches in front of the still-warm stove. It was something he'd done as a very small child. That was mostly the reason he did it now - he did it primarily to relive the memory rather than suppressing any feeling of cold.

His eyes almost never left his mother, even though she only washed dishes at the moment - he was almost afraid to look away, as if she wouldn't be there again when he looked back.

"I'm thinking maybe we'll make some bread later," Naomi tapped her shoe-covered toes against the floorboards. "It would probably go nice with dinner, don't you think?"

He gave a small nod. "Mm." He barely heard her - he still felt a little dazed from it all.

The running water of the sink came to a stop. "Shu, are you _sure_ you're alright?" Suddenly, she was crouched down next to him. "You've been really quiet today."

"I'm fine, Mom." He smiled at her softly. Maybe if things had been normal, if she had survived, he would have found the motherly question bothersome, as sons and daughters often do. But he felt glad that she was even alive to ask him _anything_. "I'm just... a little confused, I think. But I'll be okay."

"Well, if you say so..." She looked like she didn't believe him, but was willing to let it pass for now. She stood again, then grinned brightly. "How about we spend the day together? Just you and me."

Since he'd been hoping to do much the same thing - he wanted to be near her as much as possible, for fear that she might disappear if they were apart - he gave an exuberant nod. "Sure. Sounds great."

* * *

Szabo couldn't help feeling a little smug on Lord Nene's behalf. The progress of those bothersome children had at long last come to a halt.

"Szabo," Nene interrupted the Mecha Robo's thoughts. "Prepare to send the signal. It's almost time."

"Almost time!"

His fist knocked against his metallic chest. "Right away, your Excellency."

If he could, Szabo would have smirked. With every step they took, that troublesome group tangled themselves further into a web they didn't even know they were in.

* * *

Shu leaned back in his mother's embrace, watching the windmill vanes slowly turn above their heads. He didn't know how long the two of them had just been sitting here; an hour, maybe two. If it were three, it would have been more than he'd thought, but he wouldn't be all that surprised. Since he'd woken up in his room - since he'd seen his mother alive and well - everything had felt rather timeless.

Being with her again... It felt like a dream. She was back, really back. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve this, but he planned on making the most of this time that he had with her.

Everything was just about perfect. Only...

Shu straightened suddenly. Something scrabbled at the edge of his mind, insistent and warning. A sense of wrongness. He didn't entirely understand it, tried to push it away, but it wouldn't leave him alone. "Mom," he started slowly, "where's Dad? And Grandpa? And what about Jiro and Kluke?" The feeling grew. "We've been walking through the village; why haven't we seen any of them?" _What's wrong with you?_ He chided himself. _Why can't you just let it alone? Why can't you just relax, and enjoy spending time with her again?_

His mother furrowed her eyebrows. "They're out of the village today. Don't you remember?"

"No, I..." Shu swallowed. "I must have forgotten." _This is wrong. You know it is. You lived in Talta Village for twelve years, and not once was someone just "out of the village". And if _everyone_ was gone, they would have taken us with them._

He closed his eyes, half of it because of the sudden pain in his heart, the pressure behind his eyes. _This isn't real._

And then, when he opened his eyes, he was no longer on Talta's hilltop, but on the forest floor of Devour.

He felt groggy, but aware. The roots around him were limp, rather than being binding as they had before; the tree must still have thought he was trapped in the illusion. It wouldn't expect any sudden movements.

Moving as fast as he could, he forced his feet on the ground, and tried to summon the Dragon - tried harder than he ever had before.

The Shadow's claws tore through the roots, but the Dragon unsummoned after Shu sprung to his feet. He was still disoriented, and couldn't keep the magic going.

But his mind was clear enough for him to run, to have a destination.

When he heard the roots coming after him again, Shu gave a sharp shout as he lunged towards Sahlia, reaching for her arm-

His fingers closed around her limb, and he stiffened, letting out a strangled gasp as everything suddenly went dark.

He stood in what seemed to be empty space, completely sightless, save for a bright light just ahead of him. He started moving towards it - whatever was there had to be better than not being able to see at all.

He squinted at the brightness when he passed through it. When his eyes returned to their normal focus, he saw that he was in a field of flowers.

He blinked, slightly perplexed. How had he gotten _here_? Unless... _Maybe this is the illusion that the tree is showing Sahlia,_ Shu thought with a start.

He looked around. He just needed to find her; he'd have to convince her that this place wasn't reality, which would probably be hard. But then he could get both of them out of here. _I need to hurry, before those roots catch up to me._ If they did, would he even know? Not wanting to find out, he hurried down the flowered hill.

Almost right away he saw her, in the distance, sitting among the flowers. "_Sahlia_!!" His shout echoed.

Shoulders jerking in surprise, she looked over her shoulder, braided pigtails bouncing against the sides of her head, brown eyes taking in the sight of him curiously. "Shu?"

"Sahlia!" He stopped in front of her. "Sahlia, we have to go-" He cut off.

A little red-headed boy, his short hair very similar to Sahlia's, was nestled against her side, his arms around her loosely.

But the arms tightened as he regarded Shu suspiciously. "Who's this, Big Sister?"

"'Big Sister'?" Shu looked at her incredulously.

"Abe, this is Shu. He's a very good friend of mine. And Shu," her smile was sunny, "this is my little brother, Abraham." She giggled then, ruffling the little boy's hair. "But Abe for short."

Shu swallowed past the thickness in his throat. The hurt of finding out that his mother remained dead was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't stand the thought of Sahlia feeling that way as well, even though he knew that she would have to. "Sahlia," he got onto one knee, pressing a hand to her shoulder. "We need to go, Sahlia. Right now."

Her expression became confused. "Go? But why?"

_Get it over with, Shu. It's better that she knows now._ "None of this is real, Sahlia. It's an illusion."

She pulled back, her eyes turned worried. "Shu, what are you talking about? That isn't funny."

"Big Sister!" He buried his head in the folds of her dress. "Big Sister, don't listen to him! He's trying to take you away!"

"Because you're trying to keep her here!" Shu snapped at him before returning his attention to Sahlia, his other hand now on her other shoulder. "Sahlia, you have to listen to me. The Eat-Yeet, or some weird version of it, is making you see what you want to see. You have to fight it." His hands tightened.

"No, Shu." She shook her head, eyes unusually bright. "No, you're wrong. You have to be. My brother - I finally have him back - he's alive again-"

"_No_. It's just trying to make you think that. Your brother..." Shu shut his eyes. "He isn't alive again, Sahlia. He's gone. He's been gone, and nothing has changed that."

_No._ The voice that spoke, the tone rumbling and angry, was neither Shu's nor Sahlia's nor Abe's, but the voice that Shu had heard before.

And then the flower field slipped away, and Shu came to just in time to see the sharp points of the roots shooting towards him.

Letting out an involuntary yell, he tore a half-awake Sahlia out of the root cradle that she'd been in, pulling her and himself as far away as he could. His teeth grinded together as the tree's attack lunged at his back, tearing his shirt, one of them leaving a wound.

And then he was running, dragging Sahlia (fully conscious now) by the hand, trying to get to the clearing's exit; he could try to fight this thing, but he needed to get Sahlia out of here first-

But the branches and vines blocking the way had grown back, even thicker than before.

Biting out a curse, Shu shoved Sahlia in front of him, his hand on her back pushing her forward. "_Go_-!"

Any other words were lost as the roots finally reached him, tripping his feet - he hit the ground shouting wordlessly. "Let go of me!!" He started kicking out, and succeeded on pushing away at least one root, but there were many more to take its place, all of them trying to wrap around him.

"Shu!" Sahlia held a trembling hand over her mouth, terrified for both herself and Shu.

"Sahlia, run!" He continued struggling, keeping the grappling bark away from him, but mostly just delaying the inevitable. "Leave me!"

"I- I can't!" She thought of him, grabbing her hand and saving her when she was about to throw her life away. "I... I won't!" Sahlia reached for him-

-and pulled back with a small scream as one of the roots sliced her palm, with more lashing out towards her feet. She stepped backwards unsteadily, then let out a yelp as her foot landed on something uneven, something that crunched under her foot. When she looked behind her, she saw what looked like crystalline shards; she didn't know what it had been, but it was certainly broken now. But why was she even _worrying_ about that, when Shu needed her-

Something bright, from above her head, caught her attention - when she lifted her gaze, she gasped.

Descending towards her was some kind of light.

She took an uncertain step backwards, unsure of what this thing could be. She paused, though, at the sound of a woman's voice in her head.

"Swallow the sphere..."

"S... Sahlia..." When she lowered her gaze to see him, Shu looked stricken.

"What... Who are you?" Now that it had come closer, Sahlia could see that it was, in fact, a sphere. A sphere of light...

"Swallow the sphere..." The voice didn't seem to be paying her much mind. "It is the only way..."

Her attention was called downwards again when she heard Shu cry out - the roots were tightening, and the ones after Sahlia were inching closer by the second.

Her fingers tightened. There was no time to consider whether or not the voice could be trusted. She turned her eyes to Shu once more-

-and his were looking back at her, dark with emotion - she identified it as trust.

Shu had faith in her. And for now, that was all she needed.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed the orb.

Sahlia clutched at her throat. It burned horribly. _Maybe that wasn't the best idea..._ It only seemed to be confirmed when her feet started to feel strange, a kind of peculiar tingling sensation, though even that didn't seem to be an accurate description...

When she heard a "meow", Sahlia thought she might be losing it.

And then something lunged over her head, large and blue - when it passed, she saw, astonished, that the roots had been shredded. Shu sat there, seemingly confused, blinking.

Something instinctual told her to turn around, and she did, slowly...

Letting out an almost-but-not-quite shriek, she fell backwards, landing uncomfortably on her rear. Before her was a large cat, wearing a jacket. Though she felt more than a little afraid, she couldn't help squinting at the jacket a little closer; it looked just like... just like...

"Wow," Shu sounded mildly surprised. "I didn't expect your Shadow would be a... well, a cat."

"A Cat _Genie_," Sahlia corrected him faintly, finally recognizing it for what it was. "I used to read about it as a little girl - a magician that was a blue cat, wearing a jacket as blue as its fur." The last half of the sentence sounded almost as if she were quoting it.

The Shadow meowed happily in response.

Sahlia, for the most part still in shock, was taking in everything in pieces. "It's... coming out of my _feet_."

"Oh, all Shadows do that." Shu said dismissively, but winced as he stood, sore from the cuts. "Because, they _are_, you know, _Shadows_. They just cast upward instead of on the ground."

Sahlia couldn't believe how Shu spoke so _normally_, but all she could say was, "... Oh."

"Well, then..." Shu started. Sahlia snapped around at the sound of a roar; when she saw him, the Dragon was out, Shu rolling his shoulders. He shot her a casual smirk. "Let's see how well you can use your Shadow."

* * *

"Lord Nene," Szabo eyed the radar with alarm. "There is some kind of magical activity near one of the pillar locations." He pointed to it as Nene came over to peer at it.

Szabo couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Nene might've said something similar to "conniving brat".

... And that was confirmed when Deathroy said, "Conniving brat!"

* * *

Sahlia let out a little yelp as Shu tugged her away from where the man-eating tree's hands sprung out of the earth.

She leaned against him, panting a little. "This 'fighting' thing takes a little getting used to..." She felt woozy.

Shu grinned. "You'll get the hang of it."

As if on cue, the wooden hands reached for her again. A small shout escaping her, Sahlia threw up her hands to defend herself-

She lowered them, though, at the sound of splintering wood, and saw her new Shadow clawing at the tree's hands.

She was panting, completely tired out from all of the dodging and striking (from both sides), but felt slight gratification at the fact that the Eat-Yeet - or another variety of it (they still hadn't really been able to tell) - couldn't last much longer.

She couldn't help watching Shu from the corner of her eye. All of the attacks, and the movements they required - he executed them flawlessly, as if he'd done it a thousand times before (and maybe he had). Not for the first time, Sahlia was in awe of him, and all of these amazing things he was capable of.

_But, you're capable of that now, too._ The realization came to her with a jolt. She had never thought much of herself - an ordinary village girl who was a tad suicidal (it only happened once, after all, she insisted to herself) - and the thought that she could do something as incredible as this just about took her breath away.

Shu let out a battle cry before slamming into the tree with what Sahlia now recognized as a Flarus Sword. When the Eat-Yeet (or variety) had recovered, it was drooping slightly. Sahlia brightened. _Just a little more...!_

Shu turned to her with panicked eyes. "Sahlia, look out!" He threw himself at her, out of the way as dozens of roots, along with the pair of hands, stabbed out of the ground at a blinding rate.

After it had stopped, when Shu tried to stand, he fell back onto his knees. Pain creased his features. "My foot..."

Sahlia gripped his shoulder. "Hang on-"

She didn't have the time to finish; she had Cat Genie slice at the incoming roots. Afterwards, she stared at her hands, stunned by how she had been able to do it without even thinking about it. The movement, the use of magic, had come to her as easily as breathing.

She looked at the man-eating tree with a new determination. If she could do that so easily, then she could certainly fight by herself and hold her own.

Sahlia braced her feet, getting ready to charge at the Eat-Yeet. It was time to get revenge for her family.

* * *

"What do you think is going on in there?" Marumira asked of no one in particular, sounding worried.

For a short while now, there had been flashes of light coming from deeper inside the forest, and more recently, inhuman moans and yells had been heard. Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro recognized it faintly.

Marumaro cleared his throat, then voiced that recognition. "Sounds kinda like fighting."

Kluke clasped her hands over her chest. "Shu..."

"He'll be alright," Jiro's words wavered; though he did partly, he wished he could wholly believe what he was saying. "He'll find her, he'll get her out, and he'll be fine."

_Come on, Shu,_ Jiro touched the invisible wall lightly. _Make it true._

* * *

In a movement she didn't entirely control, Sahlia shouted as she brought her hands down in a circular, intersecting arc; her Shadow imitated her, except that the Cat Genie swung with outstretched claws.

The blow wasn't necessarily stronger or weaker than the ones prior, but it was all that it took - with a sound akin to a tree being felled, the Eat-Yeet slumped in defeat, its eyes closing for what would hopefully be the last time.

That seemed to be what did it; Sahlia's legs gave out, her knees knocking together as she all but collapsed. She stared ahead wearily, the whole thing feeling surreal.

That was it, then. Her parents had been avenged (hopefully, for real this time), and it had been by her own hand. She should have felt happy, she thought, as she did the first time when Shu had fought it and won. But, instead, she felt a little relieved, mostly drained. And, of course, the pain of finding out that Abe had been an illusion was still very much present.

"Sahlia!" Shu ran towards her, having healed his foot, though not completely - he was still limping on it slightly. He stopped in front of her, fists in front of him, grinning with what could be best described as boyish excitement. "What you did - that was so _cool_!"

In spite of everything, Sahlia laughed lightly. She noticed that she always laughed and smiled much easier when he was around, as if he had a kind of brightness that he brought with him wherever he went.

"We should probably get out of here, though," Shu continued. "There might be other monsters around, and I'm sure the others are worried about us by now." He offered his hand.

When Sahlia took it, Shu froze - and stared. She had a thin cut on one cheek, and one of her pigtails hung limply against her shoulder, the braids loosened, but... There was just something about her - the way she smiled at him, the warmth in her eyes - that made his face heat up for a reason he couldn't explain.

* * *

The walk out of the forest was much easier than the one in. The vines and branches that had blocked the clearing exit were no longer there, seeming to have vanished upon the defeat of the Eat-Yeet. Shu and Sahlia were perfectly comfortable in each other's presence, but for much of the time they were silent, their hearts heavy with the thoughts and memories of a family member's return that had never been real.

After a time, the quiet words just started to slip out of her. "Abraham and I were three years apart... He was five, only five, when he... When the Eat-Yeet..." She swallowed against the pressure in her eyes. "My parents died the year after, saving me. It should have been me..."

"You can't think like that," Shu interrupted her. "They saved you because they loved you, and if they could, I'm sure they'd do it again. You have to live on, as best you can, for them, so their sacrifice won't be in vain."

"Shu..." Her closed hand pressed more firmly against her chest, the green brooch at her neck cold against the tips of her knuckles.

"The tree showed me an illusion, too." His voice had gone soft, softer than she'd ever heard it before.

She looked at him quickly, her eyes wide. "It did?" _When? How?_ She didn't say the last two aloud.

He nodded. "It... showed me my mother. She looked the same as the last time I'd seen her; just as cheerful, just as young..." He lifted his eyes to hers; they looked sorrowful. "She was young, you know, when she died; for a mom, anyway. Twenty, twenty-one at the most... She got married young, had me young..." A ghost of a smile played at his lips. "Grandpa had been furious, or so he tells me. He loved her a lot, though, so he couldn't stay mad at her." His mouth curved downward again. "And then the Land Shark came." He closed his eyes tightly, almost grimacing. "So many times, I've wished I could have her back, could have my father back... But I know that they'd want me to keep going, to not give up. So that's what I've always done. I just try to keep doing my best, and hope that they would be proud."

"Shu, I..." She dropped her hand. "I'm sorry." She felt guilty, going on about her own misery, while he had one that probably equaled hers, if it wasn't greater. And yet he never let it show. _Unlike me._ She thought back to when she'd tried to throw herself off the cliff, and felt self-hate bubbling up.

"Don't be. It's fine. I'm kind of used to it. At least, as used to it as you can get with something like that." A corner of his mouth upturned. "I've still got Grandpa." He saddened, then. "But, you don't have any family left, do you?"

"No," she shook her head. "But... Like you said, I have to try to go on. Besides," she took his hand in her own, "I still have my friends." They both smiled, but Sahlia couldn't help feeling as if it weren't the complete truth, as if there had been a detail that she hadn't spoken.

* * *

"Hey..." Kluke's eyes widened. "Do you see...?"

At the same time, there were several cries of "Shu!!"

"Hey, guys!" He waved at them from a distance.

A short time later – a moment after Shu and Sahlia had passed through the unseeable barrier - Shu turned to the group with a glare, hands on his hips. "Where _were_ you guys? We almost _died_ in there, you know."

"Are you kidding?" Kluke gaped at him. "There was some kind of invisible wall in the way! We've been stuck here since you went in! I'm surprised you were even able to come through."

"Huh..." Shu looked behind him. "Weird... Oh!" He spun back around. "I almost forgot! Sahlia has a Shadow now." He waved a hand at her, the others' eyes widening; she promptly looked down and kicked the ground sheepishly. "A Cat... Genie, I think she called it. We had been trapped in some illusions cast by the Eat-Yeet, or a similar-looking man-eating tree, but we managed to break free. And then, after she swallowed a Light Sphere, she landed the final hit and took it down. It was so awesome; you guys should've seen it," he flashed a cheeky grin, before his eyes slid to Sahlia. "Go on, Sahlia, show 'em."

She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes...

And then they snapped open almost immediately, filled with alarm. "Uh, Shu... I, I think something's wrong."

"What?" He faced her fully, perplexed.

"I... I can't do it." The distress was evident in her features. "I don't know why, but I can't summon my Shadow."

* * *

"Aw, come on," Kluke giggled. "Can't you show me?"

"Nope!" Sahlia, smiling, placed a finger in front of her lips. "It wouldn't be a family secret, then, would it?"

Jiro watched, more than a little amused, as Kluke and Sahlia conversed with each other. They had found a common ground - cooking - and were getting along quite well because of it. He couldn't help wondering, though, if there was another, less companionable common ground that they shared; almost against his will, his eyes slid to Shu.

Things had been relatively relaxed since they had returned to the village. A check with the mechat radar confirmed that the dot for Jibral remained normal, so they weren't in any hurry to leave right away. Sahlia had offered to make cookies for everyone, so that was what they waited for currently. The children - who had been overjoyed when she returned - were just outside the house, with Marumira and Marutora, playing some kind of game that involved stones and lines drawn on the ground with sticks.

"Hey, Jiro." He was snapped out of his thoughts by Shu. "What do you think is causing this? With the Shadows, I mean. First Marumira and Marutora, and now Sahlia..." He shook his head. "Grandpa got his Shadow recently, but this didn't happen to him."

"Actually, we don't know that. We only saw him use Rafflesia once. And don't you _dare_ call it a mushroom," he added sourly when Shu opened his mouth. "But, yes, I do see your point. I'm not really sure. But, though they don't seem related, I think we might find out something when we go to Jibral, at least if the scientists have discovered anything yet. Either way, both things are likely connected to Nene, so our goal mostly remains the same."

Shu's shoulders slumped a little. "I guess so..."

"What-"

"The cookies are done!" Sahlia called from the other room, unintentionally cutting off Jiro. "Can someone go let the kids know?"

"I'll do it!" Shu jumped to his feet, and was at the door and out of it in a heartbeat.

Jiro fell against the back of the chair with a sigh. As always, they seemed to have numerous questions, with all of the answers far away.

* * *

Sahlia nervously plucked the bow that held together the bag containing the leftover cookies, trying to come to terms with all of this news.

While and after they'd eaten, Shu had told her everything that had happened since his last visit to Devour Village - the sandstorm, being separated from everyone, meeting Bouquet, exploring Kolin, his capture, the kidnapped children, his near-death experience from the collars, escaping from the Ancient Sphere, Bouquet's story (though he'd let Bouquet tell that one, albeit being an abridged version), chasing after Nene in the mechat, the stone pillars, the attack in Talta Village, the mysterious new Light Sphere voice, Fushira's Shadow, the strange orbs that fell off of the stone pillars, the flashing dots on the mechat radar, the plan to rendezvous with Zola, the attack in Lago Village, Marutora and Marumira's Shadows and their sudden inability to use them, and finally, his perspective of everything that had taken place since they'd arrived in Devour Village and found out what had happened to her. He hadn't left out any details, save for anything he couldn't remember.

Her mind had been whirling with a decision, though she wondered if maybe it was a bad one. But she didn't think she could do anything if that were the case, anyway. Somewhere along the way, during or after Shu had recounted everything - or perhaps even before, maybe during the walk through the forest - unbeknownst to her, she had already decided she would do this.

Her hearing tuned back in just in time to hear Shu saying, "... So, while we could probably stay a little longer, we should really get going soon. We shouldn't make Zola worry."

Almost against her will, Sahlia blurted out, "Take me with you!" It wasn't until she saw Shu gaping _up_ at her incredulously did she realize that she'd stood. She fought against an embarrassed flush, succeeding, but just barely. "I mean... Maybe I can find out how to use my Shadow if I do. And then maybe I could help you guys."

"No!" Shu barely kept from shouting, but the vehemence remained. "Absolutely _not_! You almost got killed earlier, and we'll be facing stuff worse than that - it's too dangerous!"

_Why is he protesting so much?_ "I don't care. You let Marumira and Marutora come with you, didn't you? And I'm not an adult, but I'm hardly a little kid; I'm twelve, the same age as you, Shu. Anything you can face, I can face." Sahlia's voice wavered as she said, "Please. Please let me come with you. I just want to help."

Shu shut his eyes tight. _Another person... Zola's going to kill me._ The thought was only a cover for others that were more upsetting.

She recalled their earlier conversation. "You want your parents to be proud of you, don't you? I know mine would be proud of me if I did this. So please..."

When he opened his eyes, Sahlia was surprised to see the hurt in them. When his voice came, it sounded tired. "... Fine."

She felt bad for a reason she couldn't explain, but also couldn't help feeling a little excited. "I'm going to go ask a friend if she'll be able to watch the house for me for a while. I'll be back in a minute." With that, she hurried outside.

Shu let his head fall against the back of the chair with a thump, feeling all kinds of awful. _How could I... I'm putting her in danger, not even two hours after I put Marumira and Marutora in danger. What's wrong with me?_

* * *

Sahlia made space in her satchel, pushing aside foodstuff (primarily non-perishable, worried that anything else might spoil) to make room for a change of clothes (namely, a red dress exactly like the one she currently wore). She straightened and let her eyes search her room for anything else she should pack...

There was a knock at the door. As she walked towards it, she wondered who it could be; most of the group had scattered to various locations, all of them preparing to leave, with few remaining in her house (who would probably leave soon anyway). She felt no small amount of surprise as she pulled it open by the knob and saw who stood there. "Kluke?"

"Hi, Sahlia." Kluke gave a sheepish smile, tugging at the edge of her red wristband.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah, it's fine. As far as I know, at least. Only..." She bit her lip. "I know that... now may not be the best time... but I wanted to tell you something."

"Oh, um... Go ahead." The words came out awkwardly.

"I just wanted you to know... If you ever... need someone to talk to, about your parents, I mean, just know that I'm always here." She stared at her feet. "I heard Shu talking about what's been going on recently – all of us did, I guess - and I know that you probably don't want to talk about them now. But if you do in the future, I'll be there. And Shu will, too. We both kind of understand - a Land Shark death is certainly different than one by the Eat-Yeet, but we both understand... We both know what it's like to watch your parents die." Her eyes and voice were distant, remembering something Sahlia couldn't see.

"I... Thank you, Kluke." Sahlia smiled warmly. "That... means a lot to me."

Kluke seemed to snap out of it a little, and returned Sahlia's smile. "You're welcome." She sighed a little. "I should probably go... Before Shu hurts himself or something." The girls shared a light laugh. Kluke was still chuckling a bit when she asked, "You need any help packing?"

"No, I've got it." Sahlia winked. "Besides, you have to get to Shu before he gets into any trouble, right?"

"Right." Kluke grinned, proceeding down the hallway, throwing up a hand genially. "See you in a few!"

"See you!" Sahlia called after her. As she set to packing again, having yet to stop smiling, she thought that her decision to leave had been the right one after all.

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jiro didn't bother to hide the concern in his tone, or in his eyes.

"Talk about what?" Shu shrugged, trying to smile, though it came out as more of a grimace. "There's nothing to talk about."

Jiro narrowed his eyes. "Don't try that with me. If you don't want to talk, that's fine - I won't push you. But don't pretend like there's nothing wrong."

"There isn't-" Shu broke off with a choking sound, abruptly throwing the wrench into the toolbox beside him. He pressed his now-fisted hands into his thighs, the knuckles white from how tightly they were being held. He tried to speak again, but couldn't, so settled for shaking his head.

Jiro knelt down next to him, grabbing his shoulder firmly. "Shu..."

Shu lowered his head, hair shielding his eyes from view. "She's dead. My mom's dead. Has _been_ dead for ten years. What else do you want me to say, Jiro?"

Jiro flinched, hard, but didn't let go. "I know she is. There isn't anything that _I_ want you to say - I want you to say what _you_ want to, what you _need_ to. To get it off your chest, if that's what you need, and to not say anything if not." After a moment, with nothing else to say, he quietly added, "I miss her, too, you know."

Shu looked at him quickly then, almost hostile but not quite, as if he were holding himself back because it was coming from Jiro. He let the anger go with a weak sigh. "I guess... For a while, I kind of forgot how much I missed her. But today, seeing her again..." He scrunched his eyes shut. "... I could hardly stand it. I can hardly stand it still." He looked away, staring at the opened mechat panel but not really seeing it. "I realized, while of that was happening... I almost would have let us die - let Sahlia die, let myself die - if I could only go back and have a few more moments with her, with my mother, even if it was only an illusion. And it... scared me, that I would let go that much. That I would risk not only my own life, but someone else's, someone I cared about a lot, for something that wasn't even real."

Jiro relaxed his grip on Shu's shoulder. "You can't help the way you feel, even if you regret feeling that way," he spoke softly, his eyes a little distant. "Sometimes we do things that we regret. But the fact that you didn't, that you fought, saved Sahlia and yourself... That's a strength that not everyone has, Shu." Remembering when Sahlia had asked to join them, he said, "Naomi would be so proud of you... And Masaru." He managed a small smile, then. "I am."

Shu looked surprised for a moment, but brightened afterward. "I... Thanks, Jiro."

"You guys are tinkering with that thing _again_?" Jiro started at the sound of Kluke's incredulous voice.

"I'm not really do anything," he told her, sheepish. "Just handing things to Shu. And talking with him."

Kluke lifted her eyes skyward, muttering something too low to hear but that sounded suspiciously like "boys". She raised her voice to a normal pitch again, "Are we almost ready to go, then?"

"Just about." Upon hearing Shu's answer, Jiro turned to see that he'd taken up the wrench, now grinning.

"I'll go and get everyone, then. I'll be back." Kluke started heading towards the village.

After she'd gone, Shu turned to Jiro again. He had that light in his eyes again, the one that Jiro had once thought he'd never see again, though presently, it held a touch of mischief. "So... how many more minutes do you think it would take of messing with the mechat before she got _really_ annoyed?"

Trying to tell himself that he shouldn't, though it did little good, Jiro chortled helplessly.

* * *

Sahlia clung tightly to the railing as the mechat lifted into the air, half afraid and half excited. Many times she had seen this ship land and take off outside of her village, but never before had she flown inside of it. Until now.

She looked down as she heard talking, and saw Bouquet chatting, shyly yet cheerfully, with Marumaro and his little brother. She was an... interesting girl, Sahlia thought. A little peculiar, but not in a bad way - in a good way, actually. Sahlia wondered how the two of them would get along.

She glanced over the edge again - and froze, looking on in wonder as she saw the ocean and icy land passing beneath her. "Wow..."

"We should make it to Jibral pretty soon." When she forced herself to peel her eyes away from the view, she saw that Shu had tossed a smile over his shoulder, directed at her. She felt a blush creep over her cheeks, and promptly gave herself a mental scolding.

"What's it like in Jibral, anyway?" She asked, trying to force herself to avert her eyes from his gaze, and failing miserably.

Kluke giggled. "We could explain it... But it's probably better if you see it for yourself."

Sahlia was perplexed by this, but let it go; from the sounds of things, it would explain itself later. She chose, instead, to watch the changing scenery beneath her, internally struggling with the eagerness to see this Jibral Castle Town, this new and unfamiliar place, and the urge to ask Shu to turn the ship around so she could hurry inside her house and flee to her bedroom where it was safe and known.

The former won, but only by a tiny margin.

* * *

Jibral was nothing like she imagined.

Sahlia had never seen walls so tall, cobblestones so smooth. Sahlia had never seen so many people. And Sahlia had never seen a fountain quite like the one in the Castle Town's square - she didn't even know that fountains could be that _large_.

"Awfully big place, isn't it?" Kluke grinned at her, significantly amused (probably at the way Sahlia's mouth had been gaping in her state of stun for the past several minutes).

Sahlia nodded weakly. _Maybe I'm dreaming... But it seems too incredible to be a dream._

She felt a little better when she looked down and saw that Marutora and Marumira were just as awestruck as she was; at least it wasn't just her feeling that way. Bouquet seemed interested, but not at all astonished. _That Kolin city Shu mentioned must be a big place like this._

"Come on, you guys," Shu waved them forward as he started walking. "We'd better get to the castle."

Main Street remained much the same as they continued through it. A few passerbies welcomed back Shu, Jiro, Kluke and Marumaro, but the walk was otherwise uneventful. Just as Sahlia had gotten a tiny bit used to the grandness of it all, they were entering the market district, which was a marvel of its own.

Bright awnings, many in pastels or bright shades, covered stalls that sold colorful trinkets, sweet-smelling flowers, gourmet chocolates - and that was just to name a few. She could've stayed there for another hour at the very least, just looking, if she wasn't desperately trying to keep up with Shu and the others.

Soon they were coming out of the market, and then just across water flowing beneath them under a bridge, Jibral Castle stood, the top seeming to reach for the sky. Sahlia had _definitely_ never seen anything that tall.

"Lady Zola!" Without another word, Marumaro charged ahead.

"Marumaro, _wait_!" Kluke called after him, hand beside her mouth to increase her voice's volume, but gave up with a sigh and a shrug when he was already more than halfway across the bridge. When his brother and sister started after him, she grabbed them by the shoulders. "It's okay, you two. Marumaro knows his way around, and so do we. He won't get lost, and wherever he's headed off to, we'll find him eventually."

Shu waved a hand in front of him. "And if there's anything concerning Zola, don't even bother trying to stop Marumaro. It's like trying to stop rain or sunlight."

* * *

As soon as they were through the castle doors, Kluke looked out of the corner of her eye at Sahlia, Marumira and Marutora - and grinned. _Looking at them is like seeing us on our first day here._ It was a surprise, really - it couldn't have been too much more than half a month ago (possibly less, even) that they'd first arrived here, yet things now seemed so incredibly different from back then...

Jiro placed his hands on his hips. "We should probably go to King Jibral first and report on what's happened since we split up with Zola; I imagine that she's already told him everything that took place before that. On the way we'll keep an eye out for her or Marumaro."

"We'll probably find them together anyway," Shu said wryly as they headed forward. "Knowing Marumaro, he's probably found Zola by now."

"And I'd thought the city was something..." Sahlia murmured as she twisted her head up and around, taking in the sight of the castle on the inside, as impressive as the outside, if not more.

"Hey, um... Are you sure Marumaro will be okay?" Bouquet's worried eyes darted left and right. "I know you said he would be, but..."

Shu stopped, hand on the banister of the staircase to the second floor. "Well, if you want to, we can look for him." Noting how Bouquet brightened at this, Shu gave a short nod before saying, "Alright, then. Jiro, can you look for Marumaro with me and Bouquet?" When Jiro said he would, Shu continued with, "Kluke, why don't you show everyone else the garden? It'll be quicker to search for him with a smaller group. If we take a long time, everyone meet at the entrance to the throne room."

Kluke added, "And if anyone gets separated or lost, just ask one of the soldiers or Blademasters; they'll give you directions."

"Let's go!" Abruptly, Shu grabbed Bouquet - who promptly squeaked - and Jiro by the wrists, hauling them upstairs.

Kluke pinched between her eyebrows. "Honestly, I don't know what to do with him anymore."

* * *

"Hey, you're back! It's me - you know, the soldier you pulled in the fortress with."

Bouquet observed as Shu's eyes lit up with recognition, his posture becoming more relaxed. _So many people know them here,_ she mused. _It's almost like Talta all over again._ She felt a little better this time, though - most of the people talked with Shu, which left Jiro standing beside her. Which meant she didn't have to feel so alone.

Still, being alone didn't hurt as much as it once had, since she'd talked with Shu in Lago Village.

They had walked through the halls of the second floor, searching for Marumaro, and asking the soldiers if they had seen him. So far, nothing had turned up, but they had no plans of giving up yet. _Though I doubt Shu _ever_ plans on giving up._ A small smile formed.

"What is it?" Jiro asked her genially, with a hint of amusement.

Bouquet swallowed as she flushed. "O-oh, n-nothing-"

"Excuse me!" The voice cut through the air, interrupting everyone, the urgency standing out almost alarmingly. A Blademaster - owner of the voice - took the soldier to the side and started whispering things to him. After several seconds had passed, the soldier looked at the Blademaster quickly - and though she couldn't hear what they were saying, Bouquet could see the full profile of his face.

He was horrified.

Bouquet pushed down the sudden apprehension that fluttered up, succeeding only part-way.

And then the Blademaster turned towards the trio of Shadow-wielding kids, addressing them. "Forgive my suddenness, but King Jibral must speak with all of you immediately. It is of the utmost importance, and cannot wait. The rest of your friends are already on their way to the throne room."

The three of them shared a worried look with each other, and after nodding their shared agreement to the Blademaster, silently followed.

* * *

They all stopped walking, directly in front of King Jibral. Jiro was the one who spoke for them. "Your Majesty." They bowed accordingly; Shu did a clumsy job of it, but managed to keep from completely embarrassing himself.

He straightened, raising his head - and froze.

Shu had never seen the king look so worn before.

Something was very wrong here.

He just couldn't think of _what_.

And, frowning, he realized something. The Blademaster had said that their friends were all here - and mostly, that was true, as they'd even managed to find Marumaro. But if it _was_ true, then where was Zola?

"Forgive me for giving you no prior warning," King Jibral said, sounding incredibly tired. "But I needed to tell you about this immediately. I only wish that you could have arrived here sooner."

Shu felt a pang of guilt. _We could have been here over half an hour ago… __Why hadn't I hurried?_

"A few hours ago," the king continued, "the scientists discovered that the orb Zola brought back is made, at least partially, of the same material as that of the Glass Spires in the desert. They are continuing their studies to find out what the rest of it is made of, as well as about some now-dormant magical properties." He took a deep breath before resuming. "Around the same time, some soldiers from the group investigating around the Glass Spires arrived with an urgent report."

Shu was struck with a sudden sense of foreboding. Even more than before, he wanted to know where Zola was.

"There had been a powerful sandstorm off the coast, near one of the deserted islands, which had been going on for a little less than a week. At first, my men had thought nothing of it, had just assumed it was normal considering the terrain they were in. But as it continued to persist, neither weakening nor strengthening, they became suspicious. They decided to investigate it. This occurred two days ago, and today they came up with results." King Jibral closed his eyes momentarily, and then opened them again. "The sandstorm is mostly a cover for what is actually there - a gateway between our continent and another."

Everyone in the group let out various sounds of astonishment. As she was next to him, Shu heard Bouquet the clearest; heard her gasp sharply, followed by murmuring, "The maps... That's why they're different..."

King Jibral sighed. "Though the conditions were harsh, the soldiers, Blademasters and scientists had the proper equipment to navigate through the sandstorm. Almost immediately, they managed to find the machine that is the source of the storm - it was through this that they learned about the gateway. On the machine's side was Nene's symbol." He paused before continuing. "My men attempted to study it further, but were immediately met by an onslaught of Mecha Robos. Whenever they would try to get closer to the machine, the robots would only come with greater numbers and greater force. They tried to proceed forward, towards the rest of the discovered continent, but they were met with the same resistance, if not worse. In the end, they had no choice but to retreat.

"When I learned of this, it seemed clear to me that if the Mecha Robos would guard it so vigorously, it had to mean that Nene wanted everyone away from there for a reason. And I decided that we should at least try to prevent whatever he had planned. So I sent the most elite Blademasters, accompanied by a few of the best soldiers and best scientists. And I sent Zola." The king stood then, walked forward and stopped just in front of the group. "They returned about two hours before your arrival, by air balloon. Only one soldier was conscious, though just barely - the rest were unconscious. All were in a critical state, with injuries of various kinds. They were brought to the infirmary immediately. Before the only awake soldier lost consciousness as well, we learned that they had been attacked, but not by Mecha Robos. Before he could tell us, he fell into a sleep he has yet to wake from." He retrieved something from his pocket. A scrap of cloth...

A black cloth - torn at the edges - with a white skull in the center.

King Jibral's voice caught as he spoke. "Zola... was not among those who returned."

"_Lady Zola_!!!" Marumaro's pained wail echoed upwards, an anguished cry.

For the longest time, none of them moved, none of them spoke. They barely breathed.

Finally, Jiro took hold of the black fabric. "The way this is ripped..." He started hoarsely. "It was torn on purpose."

Shu's hands tightened into fists as he seethed in quiet anger. He could only remember being this enraged once - when Kluke had been taken. _Nene, if I find out that you're responsible for this... You'd better be ready, because I'll be coming for you._

* * *

_**End of Summon Arc**_

* * *

**Chapter 16 done! As well as the end of the Summon Arc; the shortest arc, and second one that's finished. *sigh* There's so much I want to, and probably should, say about this chapter (and I can't even count how many things I'm worried about)… But I think maybe I'll wait, and see what everyone thinks about it. On that note, please review! I'm curious what all of your thoughts are on this chapter (as well as hoping that no one will shake me or throw things at me for Zola being temporarily absent again). The poll results will **_**not**_** be cleared; in fact, the poll will be temporarily removed. For the reason why, see my profile - but if the news section doesn't have today's date, disregard the entry until the one dated today shows up (the site is a bit slow with that sometimes, so keep checking back every once and a while if it takes a long time). But I can tell you what will be updated/uploaded next – the Plus adaptation. Though there's also a possibility that the next chapter of **_**Braving the Storm**_** or a oneshot/drabble could be uploaded first. But the adaptation has priority. I'm not sure how long it will take me, since this one took so much time, but I **_**will**_** try to finish it faster. Anyway, I think that's all I have to mention. See you soon! :)**


	18. Chapter 17

**Whew; Chapter 17 is finally done! :D Sorry about the delay; the normal craziness again. XP A bit of news – Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow is finally out! *cheers loudly* … Chances are, I won't be able to get it for a long time; let's just say that funds aren't abundant for me right now. ;.; I'm hoping that the rest of you, though, will be able to get it and enjoy it. :) Don't tell me too many details about it, okay? I want it to be a surprise. XD (Plus, it gives me a chance to write **_**Along the Way**_** without being influenced by the actual game.) Anyway, forgive me for the long note; I know I promised they'd be shorter, but I couldn't help it. *blushes* Anyway, review replies!**

**Inita:** Ah, I didn't look it at that way; I guess that gives me plenty of time before I'm actually late. XD You're welcome. :) Oh, no, not at all. I'm always happy to see other people doing review replies; I think it's a nice thing to do. :) I enjoy doing it anyway, but like you said, it gives the author a chance to thank the readers that reviewed. :) There's actually a button for it now that the site added – it works like a PM, I think - but I prefer doing it this way. XD (I _do_ use it for my oneshot stories, though.) I know what you mean – I almost fell out of my chair when I realized it had really, actually, finally come out. :D … And then I mentally wailed, because I realized I probably wouldn't be getting it for a while. XD I've been looking out for news, too – specifically a strategy guide – but I haven't been finding much. (It has been a while since I checked, though; I should look again.) No, I didn't know; I wish I could play it! XD Do you happen to know if the voices are the same as the first game? I've been worried about that… I know the Japanese voices were the same, but I haven't been able to find out about the English voices. Anyway, it sounds great. :D (I think refight is a word – at least, my spell checker didn't go off, so I'm just presuming. XD) Me, too; I can't wait to start writing them. :D Ah… Maybe so, though I'm not sure how much the actual Blue Dragon creators were involved with the anime (still, they might have written most of it; my Japanese is bad)… Anyway, I'm getting off track. :P I know; they seem like they would be really good friends. :( (That's why I'm trying to emphasize it in _Beyond_.) I think there're still hints of their friendship, even though it's certainly not what it had the potential to be; the game Kluke is much calmer than her anime counterpart, and I think that helps her and Sahlia to not have such a volatile rivalry like the anime Kluke and Bouquet (still, I think those two ended up as pretty good friends, though like the anime Jiro and Shu, they're not prone to admit it). Yeah; there are hints of it in the first game, so it must go in. Exactly. *nods* I know; it was so disappointing! :( If I hadn't played the first game, I'm not sure if I'd even be able to tell that Jiro has feelings for Kluke. :( I'm doing it again, too… Oh, I do; just more in the game. ;) It's just that in the game, when everything's said and done, I can only really see Kluke ending up with Jiro. However, I don't mind the occasional Shu x Kluke moment as long it isn't too frequent or overly serious ("serious" meaning them possibly ending up together). In the anime, before Tenkai, I did like Shu x Kluke in the anime more than the game (just a little more). I thought the scenes between them in Episodes 2 and 15 were cute (I also liked them because Kluke acted a bit more like her game self, especially in the second episode). :) I still, however, preferred Kluke being with Jiro (that's still the case, even now). Once Tenkai started, though, I liked it less (though I did still like it). I guess it was because it seemed to me like they had changed. I hadn't seen the last episodes of season one – still haven't, actually, though I certainly plan to – but I presumed something had happened between them (perhaps Andropov developing feelings for Kluke had had something to do with it). In any case, I had a harder time seeing them being together. (Though it might've just been because I started loving Shu x Bouquet even more than I did before. XD) Anyway, since I'm definitely rambling right now… I know; I basically limped through chapters two and five of _Precious Memories_. XP Ah, really? I'd like to read it! :) (I'm still trying to work my way up to the more recent fan fictions in the Blue Dragon archive; I'll get there one day!) Yeah. :) Me, too – game or anime, I always prefer Jiro x Kluke. Really? That's weird; I thought you liked him… I had originally liked Andropov quite a bit – and still do, actually – before I even knew about what I still refer to as the Andropov-plot-twist-bomb (still seeking a shorter name). For a while, after finding about the unexpected Andropov x Kluke twist, I wasn't quite sure what to think of him. Soon enough, I decided that I still liked him, and still preferred Jiro x Kluke. In short, the way I feel about Andropov x Kluke is the much the same as with Shu x Kluke, except that I like the latter more. Yeah; I've often wondered if creators of games, anime, etc. read comments about and fan fiction of their work. XD Yeah, they do; Kluke always seems like she's watching out for Shu, trying to make sure his adventurous impulses don't get him killed. XD Yeah, they did… Me, too. :( Yes. :) Nah, not really corny (at least, it didn't seem that way to me). XD Oh, I thought it was the nickname for _Blue Dragon Beyond_. I'm not sure, though; it's been a while since I wrote that chapter (and I'm too short on time to go and check). XD No, it's fine. :) I did. Really? Huh… How strange… Anyway. Yep. :D That's true. XD I've often wondered if everyone even reads my replies… It's alright with me if they don't, though; I'll just be happy if they enjoy the story. :) Okay. (Though it seems like you've already changed it back…) Oh… Ah, I see. Well, it does have a sort of ring to it. :) (No worries; I don't even really know what Twilight _is_.) There is; I think this might be the biggest review I've ever received. :D (Thank you!) That's okay. :) Oh, I rant quite a bit myself (as evidenced in this reply); I like talking about Blue Dragon. XD Well, there is a PM character limit, but the limit is longer than for a review… I think; it's been a while since I wrote a PM, too. XD Good to hear. :D (_Details, Jiro._) (_Jiro: *groans*_) He does, doesn't he? :) (_Jiro: What are you _talking_ about?_) I like seeing them, too. :D My goal for this series (one of them, anyway), is to have all of the characters interact with each other at least once by the end of _Hoshi to Tsuki_. I know. XP Yeah. :) The meeting with Yasato is still a ways off, but it'll definitely happen. ;) Hm… I'm not sure what he would say. XD (_Oh, nothing, Shu! XD_) Jiro's hair is brown, too? :O (_Jiro: … I can't believe you. I really can't._) Ah, really? Sorry; it wasn't intended to be mean. If it seems out of character, I don't mind changing it. Yep; coming up _very_ soon. ;D Yeah; fortunately, Kluke and Bouquet are getting along very well, so they won't be fighting like they do in the anime any time soon. :) Oh, alright; just let me know if you want to know what's coming up. As long as it's nothing overly big, I'll be happy to tell you. :) You're welcome. Glad to hear it; that's what I was aiming for. Thanks; I was worried about what people would think of him. I usually tend to avoid bringing OCs into my stories unless they're minor characters; Abraham could probably be considered a minor character, but being Sahlia's brother, he has a bigger role than most. Thus the reason why I was worried. XP Yeah… I had the impression that Sahlia wasn't an only child, which is why I came up with Abe. Good to know; thanks! :) Really? I must have written that scene better than I thought. :D Aw… Thank you! :D Thanks again. :) (_Sahlia: He won't stop calling it that!_) (_Jiro: Now you know how I feel; welcome to the team._) XD It would be nice to see them getting along… I know. :( (_Jiro: Why _were_ you blushing anyway? Are you feeling alright?_) (_Bouquet: U-u-um…_) Indeed… (_Oh, don't worry, Kluke; I think you'll be finding out sooner than you'd like…_) Me, too (and I'm writing it!). :( *blushes* Thank you! :D Really? I thought you liked Zola a lot… (… I'm really off when it comes to the characters you like, aren't I?) Here is the long-awaited (I think) update! Sorry for the wait; I'm not even going to go into the crazy stuff that's been happening to me. Anyway, hope you like this chapter! :)

**whitewolf105: ***blushes* O-oh, n-not again… (Will I ever get through these reviews without my face turning red? XD) Thank you! :D Really? I guess it was a bit obvious, wasn't it? XD Thanks; I was worried that the scenes jumped around too much. :) I know; I do, too. :(

**Review replies done! I apologize in advance for how much shorter this chapter is than the last few, as well as apologizing if it seems like the scenes themselves are too short. There was going to be more, but those parts seemed sort of unnecessary and dragged the chapter down. Hopefully I didn't overdo the editing. Anyway, read on (and hopefully enjoy)! :)**

_Chapter 17: Sousaku (Search)_

The morning sun was bright, reflecting slightly on the window's panes; fortunately, leaning against the window sill and looking at it from an angle, the light wasn't blinding. It seemed maybe too bright, considering the grim circumstances. At least, Jiro thought so.

Saying that yesterday's events had been disconcerting would be an understatement. Sahlia had gotten her Shadow, though she and Shu had almost been killed in the process. The truth of the sandstorm had been revealed, but that had seemed to result in once again more questions than answers. And Zola...

Jiro shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he was leaning more heavily on the sill than before.

The team was in shambles. Marumaro was inconsolable, varying at regular intervals from sorrow to rage. Bouquet had gone utterly silent, which somehow seemed worse. Shu was in an almost constant state of anger - strangely, though, he kept most of it in check, much like a dangerous storm about to hit at any minute. Marumira and Marutora seemed rather flustered, both of them worriedly hovering around their brother and trying to figure out what to do. Sahlia was in a similar disposition to the Devee siblings, though she was much calmer about it; she hovered around everyone, but mostly Shu, and was given to regular sighing. And Kluke...

Jiro glanced at her now. It had been a bit unexpected to him, but aside from Marumaro, Kluke seemed to be taking Zola's disappearance the hardest. The night before, when they'd gotten to the quarters King Jibral had arranged for them, she had dropped to the bed face down and had not moved, save for moving her face to the side several minutes later so she could breathe better. No one had been able to get her to talk. The next morning, she'd been up before everyone else - she had been sitting very quietly in one of the chairs, and with visibly shaking hands, had slowly been sewing the holes in Zola's slightly torn bandana. She had done this without ceasing.

Jiro was worried sick about her.

As for himself, he had been trying his hardest to ward off all emotion and look at the situation logically. Planning, trying to take a strategic approach. So far, Jiro hadn't been very successful when it came to holding off his feelings on the matter, but he had come to somewhat of a solution fairly fast.

The only thing they could do was go after her.

There were still many gaps in the plan, as well as possible contingencies that needed to be accounted for, which was mostly what he tried to currently work through in his head. But the thing that remained indisputable was this - Zola was their friend and ally, and she was very possibly in danger. So that left them with no choice but to go and find her.

Now, as soon as he got those edges smoothed out, he could tell the others.

* * *

As soon as Jiro had finished speaking, Shu broke out into a bright grin. "Finally. What took you so long?" Without another word, he strode toward his bed and, after plucking it up from the ground, swung his canteen over his shoulder.

Jiro had opened his mouth to speak, but Shu had started talking again (maybe a bit oddly, he felt glad that he'd been unintentionally cut off), "Marumaro, go with Marumira, Marutora and Sahlia to pick out some supplies. You know what we need." Shu straightened, his share of the supplies (as well as belongings) resting on his shoulders. "Jiro, go with Bouquet to the library."

"The library?" Jiro interrupted, incredulous.

Shu stood akimbo. "See if you can find something out about this continent or gateway that King Jibral mentioned." When Jiro's expression didn't change, he added, "Jiro, finding out more about stuff is what you _do_. With Bouquet helping you, if there's anything in that library about what we're looking for, you guys will find it."

Jiro started, "I-"

"Come on." Bouquet smiled at him, taking his hand, pulling him towards the door, where Marumaro was leading the way outside, who sounded just slightly more chipper at the notion of going after Zola.

"Wait." Jiro stopped with a hand on the doorframe, halting both his and her steps.

Jiro's eyes were fixed on the center of the room, where he saw Shu momentarily putting his things down as he sat next to Kluke, then say her name softly. He said something else to her, but Jiro couldn't make out what. He did see Kluke nod once, then again, this time more energetically. Shu said a few more things to her, and then she smiled, reaching over and ruffling his hair. Shu yelped.

Jiro smiled, already eager to get back as he took off down the hall, reversing roles with Bouquet as he pulled her along.

* * *

King Jibral leaned heavily on his desk, feeling weary and double his age.

It was his fault. In his mind, there wasn't any doubt about it. He had sent her. It was his responsibility.

Because of him, Zola was gone, and he could never forgive himself for it.

He just prayed that she returned safely. If for no other reason than that he wanted her to be safe and well, he hoped for the chance to apologize.

* * *

Bouquet, Jiro wryly noted, treated books much like a dehydrated person in a desert treated water.

She loved artifacts - which was something they shared - but she loved books almost as much (also shared, he corrected himself). She had been practically bouncing as she moved from shelf to shelf with a seemingly unmatchable fervor.

However, as much as she seemed to love reading, there were quite a few things she didn't know. As such, Jiro had ended up pointing out and explaining things to her as they conducted this little research project.

So maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him - a surprise with much blushing - when he heard her new name for him.

"Thank you, Jiro-sensei!"

He had just _frozen_. _Frozen_, like a statue. He thought his heart might've even stopped for a few beats.

And when she'd said it, Bouquet's eyes had... had been _shining_. It was if he'd looked at an amethyst under a light. There had been something else, too, in that look. It was something he felt he should know, something he felt he _needed_ to know, but he couldn't figure out what, as hard as he tried.

He would not know until much later.

* * *

A pen, a long-ago gift from a befriended king, moved across a sheet of paper.

_I should have known, back then. Looking back on it, it's actually ironic - we were so alike, and I never even knew how much. But it was too late. It had always been too late. If circumstances had been different... Then, maybe…_ A sigh, heavy with the weight of fifteen and a half years. _It's probably too late for it now... And it's not the first time I've said it. But if I say it anywhere, at anytime, it should be here and now._ A pause. Another paragraph, though short. Filled with the regret of something that cannot be changed.

_I'm so sorry, Bouquet._

* * *

Shu led the way as the eight group members headed towards the curving staircase leading to the castle entrance; they'd just come back after informing King Jibral of their plan, receiving his approval and pledge to help however they needed. Jiro and Bouquet hadn't turned up with any information, but they were well stocked now, so with all errands done, it was time to set out.

As he reached the top step, Shu wondered if they'd be able to do this - Bouquet knew a little about the place, considering that it turned out to be her homeland. But they didn't even know how big this continent was; how could they find one person when they had no clue where she might be?

Shu shook his head. _No. I won't give up. I don't care how long it takes; we_ will_ find her. _He grinned. _After all, it isn't the first impossible thing we've done._

* * *

Sahlia glanced behind her, at the majestic Jibral Castle. She sighed softly.

She would've liked to stay here a little longer, to explore this city - this amazing city, so unlike anything she'd seen in Devour Village - but she couldn't. Circumstances had changed now, and they couldn't afford any lags, any wasted time. There would be more time later, enough time to come back. Or, so she hoped.

"Sahlia, come on!" Shu's voice, but distant.

She snapped her head around. "I'll be right there!" With one final glance, she was gone.

* * *

Though it usually depleted them, they warped, to the Lal Mountains Camp in order to reach the desert quickly. To their surprise, they discovered that with a larger group, the warping took less away from their energy than usual, and they only needed to rest a little while. Since food tended to equal magical stamina, they were now all circled around the campfire, eating the meal that the Sheep Tribe had been generous enough to offer them as soon as they'd arrived.

Bouquet tilted her head towards Jiro. "Jiro-sensei-" But whatever she'd been about to say was soon interrupted.

Kluke choked on the water she'd been drinking.

Shu blinked at Bouquet. "_What_ did you call him?"

Jiro only wanted to find a rock and hide under it.

Bouquet blinked back at him. "Jiro-sensei. Why?"

Jiro swallowed as he looked pointedly away from Kluke, feeling her eyes boring into the back of his head.

"It's just a bit..." Shu searched for a word. "...strange, I guess."

"It's not strange." Bouquet took on an affronted look. "In the Ra Clan - before Nene, of course - people who had great wisdom or knowledge were greatly respected, and it was always proper to add 'sensei' to the end of their names. Jiro obviously has both wisdom and knowledge, so it's only right to call him that."

"Why didn't you call him that before, though?" Marumaro asked her.

Bouquet ducked her head, embarrassed. "... At the library today was the first time I said his name out loud."

"Oh. Okay." That seemed to satisfy Shu, who took a bite of rice. But Jiro realized he'd been mistaken in that assumption when his best friend grinned at him. "Hey, Jiro, maybe I should start calling you that, too."

Jiro glared at him. "Don't you dare." He snapped his head around, annoyed, not wanting to look at Shu's grin. Forgetting that he was avoiding meeting Kluke's eyes.

Mistake.

Big mistake.

Jiro felt a very definite chill go down his spine when his vision was met with Kluke's icy stare.

She held his gaze for a very long moment. Then, very quietly, she said, "I'm done eating." She got up, leaving her food on the stump where she'd been sitting (there was still more than half of it left), and walked away.

Jiro watched her go, then turned back around and sighed miserably. _That was _not_ a reaction I'd been expecting..._

"Jiro-sensei?" Bouquet leaned her head towards him again.

"Oh. Right." He shook his head. He'd go after Kluke in a minute, try to talk to her. Maybe apologize, since she seemed mad for some reason, but he didn't even know what he'd be apologizing _for_. "What's wrong, Bouquet?"

"Before, in the castle..." Bouquet hesitated for a split second. "You said that Zola's bandana had been torn on purpose." She furrows her eyebrows before continuing. "But, I don't get it. Why would someone tear it on purpose?"

He looked into the fire. Thinking. Trying to find a more positive reason, but coming up with nothing. "A message. For us. Or a warning."

* * *

Once they've flown over the desert and entered the archipelago of deserted islands, once Shu can see the sandstorm, it feels like his veins have been filled with ice. All he can see is that nightmarish experience - that time that brought him closer to dying than anything else that happened on this journey.

Being torn from the cockpit. Taken up into the unknown before feeling himself spiral downwards. That second he'd thought he heard Jiro screaming his name.

The fall. Oh, the _fall_ - that single moment of terror, just like when he'd been five years old, both times feeling certain of his death...

His hands have loosened on the mechat controls, and the ship has slowed to a crawl, almost to a complete stop. The engine hums quietly.

Shu starts at the hand on his shoulder, the sudden Shieldus spell surrounding the ship. "Don't worry. We've got you this time." Jiro's voice and hand both tremble, and Shu knows it's from the strain of keeping a high-level spell constantly going. Not a Shield, and not a Shielda - Jiro was clearly taking no chances with this. Shu feels a mixture of gratitude and worry, both overwhelming.

Shu feels someone else on his right, leaning with one arm against the back of the chair; knows instinctively that it's Kluke. "C'mon, Shu. No giving up, right?"

Shu nods, relaxing. He grits his teeth before throwing the controls forward, the mechat nearly reaching top speed as it rockets into the vortex of wind and sand.

* * *

Emerging from the sandstorm, Kluke thought, was much like when she, Shu and Jiro had emerged from the purple clouds during their escape from Nene's Fortress. They had been surrounded by darkness, and then were suddenly enveloped by light.

The sky was a bright blue above them, but instead of ocean, a sandy expanse framed by rock walls on each side stretched out before them.

Bouquet came up beside her. "Kolin!" The younger girl was right; unlike when she'd been on the ground, now from the air, Kluke could see the tops of the city's tallest buildings.

Kluke glanced at Bouquet, thinking of the name she'd bestowed on Jiro. She couldn't feel any anger at the younger girl, not truly. Having their parents murdered at Nene's hand was a misery they both knew, and Kluke couldn't stay mad for long at anyone who'd gone through that - not when she knew how much it hurt. Besides, Bouquet... Well, Kluke had thought of her as an ally since back in the Ancient Sphere. She'd felt sympathy for her, had wanted to help her. And she'd quickly come to think of her as a friend - it had been such a smooth transition that Kluke hadn't even noticed it happening.

Whenever Bouquet called Jiro by _that name_, though, Kluke's heart would still for several long seconds. And in that time, for that very short time, she would dislike both of them.

It made Kluke hate herself a little. Just a little bit, but enough.

"We'll set down outside the city," Shu's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "We can ask if anyone there has seen Zola."

"We should ask if there have been any mysterious or violent attacks, too," Jiro added. "Whoever or whatever attacked Zola and King Jibral's men, they probably didn't go near the city. But if we can track down any leads on strange events, we might be able to find a connection."

Shu grinned. "That's what usually works, anyway."

Kluke sighed out some of her tension, trying to relax as she half-heartedly listened to Shu and Jiro talking about some of their previous "investigations" - such as the time in Alumaru Village - and relating it to the newer members of the group who had not been there. She glanced at Jiro. He seemed calm - rarely was he not - but she knew him well. He was still upset. Very upset.

He had tried to talk to her in the mechat cabin about Bouquet's new name for him, after they'd left the Sheep Tribe camp, but Kluke had steadfastly ignored him. She'd only responded when he dropped the subject. She felt bad that she'd been so cold, but if she had the chance to do it over, Kluke didn't know if she could act any differently.

Kolin was getting closer. She turned and headed for the cabin, preparing to disembark.

Maybe she couldn't change what had already happened. But she could still try to fix what had been done.

* * *

Something was wrong with Jiro and Kluke. Shu was certain of this. He just had no idea what it _was_.

If only he knew more about people, the way his best friends did. If it was Jiro looking at Shu and Kluke, he would've figured this out in no time-

"Come _on_, Shu," Marumaro pushed insistently at the back of Shu's leg. "Lady Zola needs us!"

Shu drew himself up. Right, then. Back to the important stuff. Feelings could wait; they were too confusing anyway.

Having lived here for a good portion of her life, Bouquet guided them through the city streets with ease as they searched for people to talk to. Shu usually started the conversations, but left most of the talking to Kluke - she had a knack for getting people to open up. Even with that, though, after an hour they had still turned up with nothing.

Marumira stopped walking; the others turned as she began to speak, "This city's too big! There has to be a faster way to find out what we need to know."

Shu put a hand on his hip. "Got any ideas, Bouquet?"

"Well..." She took a few steps forward, looking down the long street. "The bulletin board in the square might have some information. Usually it's just advertisements for stores or posts asking people for help with an errand, but every once and a while you can find useful information."

"Sounds like it's worth a shot," Sahlia nodded, smiling. "Let's get going; lead the way."

Following Bouquet's direction, they soon found themselves in the aforementioned square. Shu recognized it instantly by the fountain in the center, the one that Bouquet had showed him during his first visit. Only sparse feet away from where they'd officially become friends.

When he looked to the side, he saw Bouquet staring it. Something flicked across her features, lit up her eyes - sadness, maybe? Shu wasn't sure. Before he could try to figure out anymore, Bouquet was turning around and already moving, waving them over and saying, "It's this way."

As they stopped in front of it, Shu eyed the board from bottom to top. It was covered in papers and tablets, nailed to the wood, all with writing on them. All of them would have to search; there were far too many for a single person alone to look. "Alright, guys; everybody start looking. Keep an eye out for anything promising."

Only two minutes in, and Shu was feeling agitated. Impatience was one of those things that came naturally to him, and it would only get doubled when a friend was very possibly in danger. Four minutes in, and he was worried; the most he had found were things like requests for grocery deliveries or recruitments for the city guard. The task of finding Zola was starting to once again seem impossible; if in a city bigger than Jibral they couldn't turn up with anything, how were they going to search a continent in which Kolin was only a small piece?

Five minutes yielded results. Jiro took a paper from towards the top; he was the tallest of the group by only a few inches, but no one else had been able to reach that height on the bulletin board. He read it aloud, "'Nirvana of the West pleads for help. Our city is being attacked by a fearsome serpent of fire. It is killing our people daily. Men, women, or children - it does not care. It slaughters any and all. Please, send help. We beg of you, send someone to defeat this horrible monster.'" When Jiro lowered the paper, he was furious. "Why hasn't anyone helped these people? What's Kolin waiting for?"

"The Emerald Dragon." Bouquet spoke up nervously, wringing her hands.

Marumaro tilted his head. "What's that?"

"It appeared about five years ago. It's made a home in Albarose Pass, and it attacks anyone who tries to go through. Only two people are known to have come out alive. I guess it would have to be three, since someone must have posted that notice," Bouquet nodded at the paper Jiro still held. "But it's the only way to get to Nirvana from here. That's why no one's gone."

"Well, _we're_ going." Shu crossed his arms. "Those people need help; we can't just stand around and let this happen. On top of that, it _could_ have something to do with Zola going missing. Maybe this serpent or whatever is Nene's doing. If it is, then maybe it took her. So, do we have to go through the Pass, or can we use the mechat?"

Bouquet shook her head. "In the west, there are sandstorms worse than what we had to go through to get here. They don't usually bother you if you're on the ground, but if you look up, then you can see them in the air. There aren't really any in the east or south, but you can't get to Nirvana from there."

"Alright." Shu brought a fist to his open palm. "Let's get going and get this over with. It's not the first nasty thing we've had to fight."

"We should probably rest first," Bouquet smiled sheepishly. "We won't make it there before nightfall, and it's not a good idea to wander around in that area after dark."

Shu shut his eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh. "There's always something trying to stop us."

* * *

She swung her feet over the side of the bed. The inn room was dark now, but she could make out the shapes of the other seven beds in the room. The girls' beds were against one wall, and the boys' were against the opposite wall. One of the other walls held three windows, and the other had the door.

Kluke mentally groaned, pressing the back of her hand against the lids of her closed eyes. She always did this when she was only half awake - mapping out the room in her head, even if it was her own bedroom.

She stood, abandoning her shoes and going barefoot (excluding the red bands on her ankles and legs); just because she couldn't sleep didn't mean she wanted to wake anyone else up. Near silently, she padded over to the door, which led to the room that served as a sort of living room/cooking area. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, musing that Kolin's inns were awfully courteous; they had looked at more than one inn, and all had offered the same arrangement of two rooms (albeit with different furnishing and price). She shook her head to clear it of its wanderings, and then opened the door.

A few feet away, a head shot up, a stubborn lock falling into a face warmly lit by candlelight.

_Idiot,_ she scolded herself. While she had seen the beds, she hadn't looked to see if anyone was actually _in_ them.

"Sorry." Jiro pushed his hair out of his eyes, flashing a timid smile in her direction. "I couldn't sleep, so I was just looking through my notebook. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

She shook her head. "No. I couldn't sleep, either. I didn't even know you were awake." She closed the door behind her, then crossed the short distance to him. She placed a hand on the chair across from him. "Mind if I sit?"

"Not at all." He closed his small book as she sat down.

They were both quiet for a moment. Then Jiro said, "Kluke-" just as Kluke said, "Jiro-"

"Sorry." Jiro's face seemed to lightly tinge red. It might've been the candle, though; Kluke couldn't tell. "You go first."

She swallowed hard. For a moment, she'd had courage, but now it felt hard to get the words out. She reminded herself that it didn't matter if it made her uncomfortable, because Jiro needed to hear it. She owed to it him. Kluke let her eyes meet his and spoke.

"I'm sorry, Jiro. About earlier. I just... need to sort out a few things. And make a few decisions that I should have made a long time ago." She noticed his sudden puzzled look, so rare on his face; she pressed on. "Still, it was uncalled for. I didn't mean to take it out on you." A long pause followed, but fortunately not an uncomfortable one. "Are you mad at me?"

"No!" He looked astonished, and perhaps a little hurt. He hadn't shouted, but he lowered his voice regardless. "No. Of course not. How could you even think that I'd be mad at you for this?" She heard the unvoiced _whatever this is_. He smiled at her, wry and tired. "I thought you knew me better than that."

She let out a relieved laugh. If they were bordering on harmless bantering, then she knew she'd been forgiven.

She had a suspicion, though, that Jiro didn't think she needed to apologize in the first place.

* * *

The desert sun was hot today. It reminded Jiro of Talta.

This desert between Kolin and Albarose Pass looked a lot like Talta's desert, too. The sand had that same mixture of gravel and soil; no one had ever been quite sure what had made it that way. Jiro wondered if there was any information about it on this continent; perhaps in this place, they had put more investment into researching things like that.

Marumaro's voice snapped him out of the reverie. "Jiro! You're gonna get left behind!"

"Coming!" He hurried after them, slipping into the back of the group, beside Kluke.

He glanced at her on the aside. She caught his eye and smiled; he returned it. Whatever had gone on between them yesterday seemed to have passed, and Jiro was grateful for it. Being on bad terms with Kluke had distressed him to no end, especially since he wasn't entirely sure how and why it had happened. Being like this, like they always were, felt right. He decided that it had probably just been a sort of squabble between friends, like the one he'd had with Shu in Pachess Town.

Friends.

He resisted the sad sigh that wanted to get out.

They walked for a little while longer, encountering nothing, before coming upon a towering mountain; the rock was the color of indigo, the height unable to be determined due to the violent sandstorm blocking their eyes from seeing anymore of it.

"Well," Bouquet started, sounding unsettled. "Here it is. Albarose Pass." A short pause. "... We're not really going to go _in_ there, are we?"

"We gotta," Marumaro stomped his foot. "If Lady Zola is there, Maro will do whatever it takes to find her."

"Right," Shu nodded. "Dragon or no, we have to go through here. So let's get going."

With various voiced agreements, they headed towards the cave-like entrance.

A shower of small stones cascaded down the side of rock, right next to the path. Jiro immediately came to a stop; his eyes darted left, then up, searching. Pebbles didn't fall down the side of a mountain for no reason; it had to be caused by something moving.

"Jiro!" A quick turn of his head revealed that Kluke was standing at the pass entrance, waiting for him. "Are you okay?"

He turned his head toward the side of the path again. Everything was still. "Yeah. It's nothing. Just my mind playing tricks on me, probably." He sprinted a few feet, worried about being left behind, but slowed as soon as Kluke was at his side. The two of them followed the others down the darkening path.

Outside, seen by no one, a single, larger stone tumbled down the rocky mountainside.

**Chapter 17 done! :D Four notes concerning names in this chapter: 1. Whether you go by the English or Japanese version, Bouquet calls Jiro, "Jiro-sensei" in both. 2. Nirvana is, as most readers probably know, the capital of White Brigade in Tenkai no Shichi Ryuu, the second season of the Blue Dragon anime. 3. The Flame Serpent comes from A.S.H. (Archaic Sealed Heat), Mistwalker's first title for the DS, which (very unfortunately) has yet to be released outside of Japan. It was also the first DS game to be released on a 2 gigabit DS card. 4. Albarose is the capital of Rosenkreuz in Tenkai. It is also Matilda's birthplace; though her whole name is unknown, she is known fully as "Matilda of Albarose". Anyway, enough about the names – I have another, more important note.**

**We're entering a very open part of the story, that "episodic" part that I mentioned in the prologue's notes; **_**Beyond**_** became much bigger than I expected, so it took longer to get to this point (however, it's not really "episodic" now that I have notes, both in my head and on my computer, of the story's general framework). Now that we're here, though, ideas are even more welcome than they were before; it's a big continent Shu and the others are traversing, so there's plenty of time for stuff to happen. ;) So, if you have any idea of things you'd like to see, just submit it in your review. I'll say now that I can't promise everything will be included; the most likely reason for this is that it didn't fit into the general framework of the story I have planned. However, if I like the idea enough, I may consider making a little side story (if it spirals out enough, it may develop into a full-blown story). Still, if you don't have anything in particular in mind, no worries; I should have enough stuff to fill in any gaps of time. :)**

**So, if you can, please review and let me know what you think! The poll will be put back up after this chapter is uploaded, so feel free to vote at any time for which story you'd like to see updated next! :) As usual, I'll try to update after 10 hits, but considering how long it's been taking me lately, it may be awhile. *sweatdrops* Still, it may come faster than I think; there's going to be a lot of excitement next chapter, so I'm eager to get to it. ;D See you soon! :D**


End file.
